The ingredient is a staple on a bagel, a regular in a sushi roll and pops up in recipes for pasta, pies and more, but conservationists are warning about the true sustainability of Tasmanian salmon.
The fish is back in the headlines this week after the Albanese government rammed through laws that will protect the Tasmanian salmon farm industry from environmental challenges.
The independent senator David Pocock warned the Maugean skate – an endangered fish – may suffer instead, however, telling parliament: “If this thing does go extinct, I hope it haunts you.”
If you’re feeling queasy about Tasmanian salmon – also known as Atlantic salmon – next time you’re at the grocery store or looking at a menu, what are the alternatives?
What are some more sustainable types of fish?
The Australian Conservation Foundation’s (ACF) business and nature lead, Nathaniel Pelle, recommends considering alternative native fish species such as barramundi or Murray cod.
Unlike Tasmanian salmon, barramundi and Murray cod are farmed “almost entirely” on land, says Adrian Meder, the manager of the GoodFish sustainable Australian seafood guide.
Land farming means wastewater from any pollution is either filtered before it is discharged or, in some cases, recycled and used to fertilise crops, Meder says.
“Murray cod are … a species that’s native to Australia and really well suited to the places in which it’s grown.
“You’re not only getting a recycling of the nutrients produced by the fish farm to produce more food, but you’re even using the water they’re farmed in twice for food production.”
Laura Yotis, who runs The Fishmonger’s Son with her husband, Anthony, encourages consumers to try wild-caught fish such as snapper, john dory, flathead and blue eye.
“I’d encourage them to try some of the wild-caught species [and] to just kind of branch out,” she says.
But what if I really love salmon?
Yotis believes eating Atlantic salmon is an “engrained thing” because “people get attached to flavours and attached to cooking things a particular way”.
“There are so many other types of fish that are wild-caught and comparable in terms of price and texture,” she says. “We do encourage other choices.”
Pelle says he considers salmon a “discretionary item” and encourages consumers to send a message to the industry – and the supermarkets – “that they will make decisions based on sustainability”.
Almost all Atlantic salmon filets sold in Australian supermarkets come from Tasmanian sea cage farms, he says.
What about fish that tastes similar to salmon?
Yotis says trout is a good option. Like Atlantic salmon, it is a red meat fish, but Yotis says it has a “delicate, silkier texture to it”.
“That would be the kind of automatic substitute you would offer someone who’s looking for a red fish,” she says.
According to the GoodFish guide, rainbow trout is farmed mainly on-land in tanks and ponds, making it a more sustainable option to Atlantic salmon. “Ocean” trout is farmed in sea cages, the guide says.
Can I buy sustainable salmon?
Yotis sells Atlantic salmon, which comes from Tasmania, as well as ora king salmon from New Zealand. She says in the last six months, sales of ora king salmon have surpassed Atlantic salmon.
“There’s so much controversy about Atlantic salmon,” she says. “A lot of customers in our area are quite well educated [and] they’re asking for alternatives.”
Yotis says ora king salmon is “said to be more sustainably farmed” than Atlantic salmon. On its website, the company says it is “committed to growing king salmon in the most sustainable way possible”.
Pelle adds that he doesn’t believe there’s anything wrong with importing seafood from sustainably managed fisheries overseas, although he would still encourage consumers to opt for local alternatives.
“A well-managed wild fishery can be very sustainable. It’s not the species. It’s the way it’s produced or caught. Everything can be done sustainably with the right management.”
