Salmon-fishing issues at a glance

Consumer choices impact our fish supply and the environment. Issues at a glance:

OVERFISHING. For many popular species, too many boats have gone after too many fish (often catching them before they’ve had a chance to spawn).

DESTRUCTION OF HABITAT. Some common fishing practices destroy critical features in the environment that wildlife depends on.

BYCATCH. Some methods pull in large volumes of other fish and marine life, which usually die. By some estimates, one-fourth of the world catch is discarded each year.

FARMING. While aquaculture can alleviate overfishing pressure on wild populations, some farms ― including salmon ― are environmentally destructive: pollution from uneaten feed, pesticides, and antibiotics can destroy habitats; disease from farmed fish can spread to wild populations; and non-native farmed species can escape and threaten native species, in part, by interbreeding with them.