Why You Should Choose
Wild Caught Fish
(And Where To Get It)
Consistently eating a healthy, balanced diet can be tough these days. Processed foods tend to be relatively cheap, widely available, and filled with sugar. It’s easy for people to eat unhealthy snacks instead of nutritious meals. However, there are plenty of food options for folks looking to eat healthily, and most nutritionists rank seafood as among the healthiest options.
Seafood and fish can be incredibly nutritious and provide plenty of healthy calories, fats, and protein. Some types of fish contain omega-3, an essential fatty acid with plenty of health benefits. However, even though the seafood and fish at the market may all look and smell the same, they may not be. Seafood is sourced from two locations: manmade ponds and the wild.
Wild-Caught VS Farm-Raised
As the names suggest, wild-caught fish and seafood come from natural habitats like streams, rivers, and oceans, while farm-raised seafood is raised and harvested in controlled, manmade environments. This includes above-ground tanks or pens submerged in rivers, lakes, or oceans kept under close supervision to ensure a large yield of healthy fish.
You may think seafood caught in the wild is pretty much the same as farm-raised seafood. And you probably wouldn’t be the only one. Unfortunately, you lose something when you remove seafood from their natural habitat and confine them to above-ground tanks or underwater pens. Farm-raised fish tends to be of lower quality compared to their wild-caught counterparts and, in some cases, can even be dangerous to your health.
Although it may seem challenging to find wild-caught seafood in San Antonio, it is generally the better option for people looking for a healthy, nutrient-dense meal. Let’s look at some of the ways wild-caught and farm-raised seafood differ and why those caught in their natural habitat always come on top.
Nutrition
In terms of nutritional value, wild-caught seafood absolutely destroys farm-raised seafood. This isn’t because of any genetic differences. It’s due to their diet. In the wild, fish and seafood have a varied, natural diet and consequently tend to hold more nutritional value and have slightly lower saturated fats. For instance, salmon caught in the wild is rich in potassium, iron, selenium, vitamins A and D, and B-complex vitamins.
Sustainability
Opting for wild-caught seafood over farm-raised varieties isn’t enough. You should also make sure they are caught in a sustainable method that doesn’t harm sea life and prevent colonies from replenishing.
Although fishing methods that use nets can bring in massive hauls at a time, they are quite destructive. Such practices tend to catch plenty of young, immature fish and unwanted fish, known as bycatch. According to bycatch.org, the accidental capture of ‘non-target’ marine animals poses one of the biggest threats to marine biodiversity. Hook and line fishing, on the other hand, ensures only the targeted fish are caught and results in very high-quality fish.
Contaminants
Remember when we said that wild-caught seafood has some flaws? Well, here’s one of them. We dump a lot of our wastes into our water. This waste can contaminate the water, resulting in contaminated seafood. However, farm-raised varieties have been found to have more contaminants. Common contaminants found in farm-raised fish include dioxins, chlorinated pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
PCBs are associated with serious health problems like cancer, making them the most dangerous contaminants found in fish like salmon. According to a study that investigated over 700 salmon samples from fish farms worldwide, PCB levels in farmed fish were eight times higher than the PCB concentration in wild fish.
Since farm-raised fish have a higher chance of disease, some fish farms pump them with antibiotics to keep them healthy. These antibiotics can remain within the fish and get passed on to the consumers. Additionally, both wild-caught and farm-raised seafood can be contaminated by mercury.
Where Can You Find Sustainable, Wild-Caught Seafood In San Antonio, TX?
The best way to purchase wild-caught fish captured using sustainable methods is to go directly to the source. However, this isn’t a viable option for most people.
For residents of San Antonio, Groomer’s Seafood is the place for you. Since the late 1800s, Groomer’s Seafood has provided the highest quality of premium, wild-caught seafood in San Antonio. Our seafood is caught using sustainable methods and handled with the greatest care from the moment it hooks the line until it reaches your hands. Check out our specials today!