A growing body of evidence indicates that sea lice from salmon farms are killing the Pacific Coast’s wild salmon. Salmon are the lifeblood of the coast and must be saved.

In late 2005, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) began an add campaign alerting salmon consumers to the perils of choosing farmed salmon versus wild salmon.

Part of the campaign encouraged concerned consumers to let Safeway know they have a responsibility to encourage their salmon suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices. The weight of evidence from published science is hard to dismiss. Here’s hoping Safeway listens.

But how can we tell if a fish is farmed or wild? According to the David Suzuki Foundation, being marked “fresh” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wild. But you can tell a great deal by the species: Atlantic Salmon are farmed. Chinook (aka Spring) and Coho might be farmed or might be wild. About 25% of B.C.’s farmed salmon are Chinook or Coho, and Coho is farmed in Chile, although primarily for export to Japan. Sockeye, Chum and Pink are wild.