IN THIS ARTICLE, THE SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION “EXAMINES THE SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES SURROUNDING FARMED SALMON, INCLUDING ADVICE AND INSIGHTS FROM EXPERTS AND BUSINESSES IN OUR NETWORK, TO EXPLORE WHETHER SALMON HAS A PLACE ON A SUSTAINABLE MENU. 

Our overall consumption of fish and seafood is at an all-time high. For the first time in human history, we are now farming more seafood (51%) than we catch from the wild – in 2022, the global production of fish and seafood through farming reached 94 million tonnes. However, this expansion in aquaculture hasn’t put a halt to our continued overfishing of wild fish; on the contrary, this is still on the rise, according to the FAO’s ‘The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture’ (SOFIA) report 2024. If we don’t make it an urgent priority to start meeting this enormous global demand in sustainable ways, we will find ourselves with – quite literally – no fish left in the sea.

It matters how restaurants and other food businesses source their seafood: the hospitality industry has enormous buying power, and can also play a role in educating consumers and influencing their future food choices at home. In this article, we’ll look at the sustainability issues surrounding farmed fish, with a particular focus on salmon, one of the world’s most popular fish. Drawing in advice from experts and businesses in our network, we’ll highlight what hospitality businesses should know.”