FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tim Bristol –Alaska Program Director, Trout Unlimited / 907.321.3291
Elizabeth Dubovsky – WhyWild Director, Trout Unlimited/907.321.7221
Trout Unlimited Praises Target for Replacing Farmed Salmon with Wild Alaska Salmon
Juneau, AK – Today, Trout Unlimited, the nation's largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization with over 140,000 members around the country, praised the prominent national retailer Target for its decision to drop farmed salmon from its stores.
"Target's decision has set a precedent for other national retailers and will hopefully encourage others to do the same," noted Trout Unlimited's Alaska Program Director, Tim Bristol. "There are just too many risks and environmental costs when it comes to farmed salmon, and we're thrilled to see that retailers, such as Target, are starting to factor those externalities into their salmon purchasing decisions."
On January 26, Target announced it was taking farmed salmon out of all 1,744 of its stores nationwide and will be carrying wild Alaskan salmon in its place.
Farmed salmon have been a controversial food product for years with growing scrutiny and concerns about how farmed salmon are produced and the negative impacts the industry is having on wild salmon stocks and local marine ecosystems around the world. Trout Unlimited has been working over the past several years to educate salmon consumers, chefs, and retailers around the country about their salmon choices and why wild salmon is the healthiest choice for both people and the environment. Trout Unlimited agrees with Target's decision to source Alaska salmon in place of farmed, since Alaska is currently the largest and most sustainable producer of wild salmon thanks to its sound fisheries management and intact, high quality salmon habitat.
Through its WhyWild Program, Trout Unlimited will be encouraging its thousands of members to "vote with their fork" and salmon dollars at Target and to thank Target for investing its dollars in Alaska's sustainable salmon fisheries and pristine salmon habitat.
"Target is not only supporting healthy ecosystems and healthy fisheries, but it's also supporting American jobs and the American economy by sourcing its salmon from our nation's domestic fisheries," added Bristol. "This is great step in the right direction."