Target cites pollution from salmon farms -- either from chemicals, parasites, waste or escaping non-native species -- as the biggest reason it will sell only wild salmon.
The decision is good news for Alaska fishermen, who have seen depressed prices resulting from the influx of farmed salmon on the market. "We're very pleased to see Target's recognition of Alaska and our sustainable fisheries management methods," said Cora Campbell, fisheries policy adviser to the governor of Alaska.
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Target said it would begin selling only wild salmon because it believes fish farms damage the environment.
Sustainable seafood means using fishing methods that allow a threatened or depleted fishery to recover back to healthy levels.
Alaskan salmon is listed as a "Best Choice" by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, largely because of careful regulation at its fisheries that prevents fishing at an unsustainable rate. That regulation may need to work overtime if Target's decision precipitates a spike in demand for Alaskan salmon.
Overfishing has already seriously damaged salmon stocks elsewhere in the country; stocks in the Pacific Northwest are now protected by the Endangered Species Act. They aren't alone, either. Some studies estimate that populations of large predatory fish in the ocean have declined upwards of 90 percent in the years following the advent of industrial fishing in the 1950s, but some believe aquaculture can relieve pressure on wild stocks.
Marine biologist Jacques Cousteau was an early supporter of aquaculture. "We must turn to the sea with new understanding and new technology," he said in 1973. "We need to farm it as we farm the land."
Seafood Watch communications director Ken Peterson hopes that Target's decision, combined with other high-profile purchasers such as Walmart and food service giant Aramark, will help put pressure on the market to further develop sustainable salmon farming.
One salmon farm has earned Seafood Watch's "Best Choice" designation: a Washington state company named AquaSeed. It grows freshwater salmon in a closed containment system. Currently, the company's stock is spoken for, but Peterson hopes that other salmon farmers may follow suit.
In the meantime, Target's decision to go wild may be the only way to get large amounts of sustainable salmon.
"By and large none of the farming methods out there meet high sustainability standard," Peterson said. "We are looking for and encouraging more sustainable salmon aquaculture."
