Atlantic Salmon

Atlantic Salmon is a cold-water fish (Salmo salar) native to rivers draining into the North Atlantic, now raised mainly through marine aquaculture rather than caught wild, since farmed production far exceeds the wild catch. Juvenile salmon are hatched and reared in freshwater tanks before being transferred to floating net pens in coastal seawater, where they are grown to market size over one to two years. Norway is the world's largest producer, with Chile, Scotland, Canada and the Faroe Islands also running major salmon farming industries built around sheltered coastal waters. The industry has drawn sustained scrutiny over sea lice, disease transfer to wild stocks and the environmental footprint of open net pens, issues that have shaped the breed's regulation in several producing countries.