Educational Media Reviews Online

Many wild populations of salmon returning to North America’s northwestern rivers have suffered serious setbacks over time. At first glance, farming salmon in coastal net pens may seem to be a viable way of putting salmon on people’s dinner plates while removing pressures on wild salmon populations. This exceptional documentary unveils the industry’s negative impacts by scrutinizing current salmon farming practices in Canada, the United States and Chile.

Net Loss identifies several significant problems related to net pen salmon farming: escapement of non-native species; depletion of stocks of fish used to feed farmed salmon; excessive pollution due to large amounts of concentrated fish waste; the unintended consequences of drugs administered to keep farmed salmon healthy; and the propensity of farmed salmon to infect wild populations with diseases.

The makers of the film were careful to include the varying perspectives of salmon farmers, scientists, native North Americans and advocacy groups. The result is an objective documentary that should have broad appeal. One can frequently find farmed salmon in grocery stores selling for four or five dollars per pound. Net Loss makes one realize that the true cost of farmed salmon is much higher. This documentary is highly recommended for adult and high school audiences.