When you mention 'salmon' to most people, they will start to think of food! Salmon is packed full of healthy nutrients, some of which our bodies cannot make. By eating salmon we can get the goodness of these nutrients too.
Catching salmon for food is something that has been done for thousands of years. Long ago, people developed clever fish traps and nets to catch the salmon.
FACT: Salmon are packed full of nutrients, some of which our bodies cannot make.You may see evidence of the nets or traps that fishermen used at the mouths of rivers throughout Scotland. A lot of nets are not used for catching salmon any more.
Some of the fishermen have been paid not to fish their nets by conservation interests who want to see more salmon in the rivers. Other nets are not used because they don't make enough money. This is especially true since the numbers of wild salmon returning to rivers have decreased.
QUESTION: Have you ever eaten salmon?Although wild salmon are not as plentiful as they once were, salmon is still a very popular food. In fact, you can buy salmon in almost every supermarket. The salmon you buy to eat from a supermarket is unlikely to be wild but is probably farmed. Farming salmon has advantages and disadvantages. By farming salmon in a controlled environment, supermarket shoppers have a more reliable supply of food than if they were dependent upon wild fish (whose numbers might be affected by a variety of threats). However, there are also some conflicts between salmon farming and wild fish interest. Salmon farmers work with the Scottish Government and wild salmon biologists to try and reduce these problems.
Salmon is a food that can be eaten in lots of different ways! You can buy a salmon fillet from a supermarket and cook it in your own house by baking it, steaming it or frying it. You can also buy the salmon smoked, which is a process that uses salt and woodsmoke to preserve and flavour the fish.
