At Kenai-Red Fish Company, we believe good food starts with honest sourcing. When it comes to salmon, one of the most common questions we get is: “What’s the difference between wild and farmed salmon?” Let’s break it down—because knowing where your food comes from matters.
Wild Salmon: Nature’s Original
Wild salmon are born in freshwater rivers and migrate to the open ocean, swimming thousands of miles before returning upstream to spawn. It’s a journey that shapes their flavor, texture, and nutrient profile.
At Kenai-Red, all our salmon are 100% wild-caught from the icy, pristine waters of Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Why does that matter?
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Nutrient-Rich Diet: Wild salmon feast on a natural diet of krill, plankton, and other marine life, giving them their deep reddish-orange color and robust flavor.
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Lean & Clean: Because they’re constantly swimming and feeding in the wild, these fish are leaner with firmer flesh—and free from antibiotics or artificial colorings.
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Sustainably Managed: Alaska has some of the strictest fisheries management practices in the world. Our wild salmon are harvested in a way that protects future generations and supports healthy ecosystems.
Farmed Salmon: The Industrial Alternative
Farmed salmon are raised in controlled environments—typically sea cages or inland tanks—where they’re fed a processed diet and often treated with antibiotics or pesticides to manage disease.
While farmed salmon may offer consistency and convenience, there are a few key differences:
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Color Additives: Because farmed salmon don’t eat the same marine diet, their flesh tends to be pale and is often dyed to look more like wild salmon.
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Higher Fat, Lower Omega-3s: Farmed salmon are fattier, but not always in a good way. Their omega-3 to omega-6 ratio can be less favorable due to their feed
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Environmental Impact: Some fish farms have been linked to water pollution, disease spread, and escaped fish interbreeding with wild populations.
The Kenai-Red Difference
When you choose wild salmon from Kenai-Red Fish Company, you’re not just getting a tastier fillet—you’re supporting small-scale, responsible fishing families who care about the ocean as much as you do.
We hand-harvest each fish with respect for the resource and take pride in delivering it directly to your table. No shortcuts. No mystery. Just pure, wild Alaskan salmon.
Taste the Wild
There’s something deeply satisfying about food that’s caught, not manufactured. Wild salmon isn’t just better for you; it’s better for the planet, too.
Ready to taste the difference? Explore our latest catch and bring home a piece of Alaska.
