The two main types of salmon are farmed and wild-caught. Farmed salmon are raised on farms for food, whereas wild salmon live and reproduce in the wild as a part of the ecosystem.

Farmed salmon can’t migrate, as they live in penned areas or tanks that can get crowded and impassable. They don't get food found in the wild, at least not in enough quantities.

Producers feed farmed salmon a supplementary fish diet, which impacts their nutritional value. They may be fattier than wild salmon and have red dye injected for a pinker look.

Farmed salmon can be easier to find at stores and are more affordable than wild ones. They’re a more eco-friendly choice for sustainable protein compared to wild-caught salmon.

Wild salmon have less fat and more muscle than farmed ones because they swim much further in the streams, rivers, and open ocean. As a result, they taste richer than farmed salmon.

Farmed salmon are naturally paler and pinker because they mostly eat pellet food, whereas wild salmon have a rich orange-pink color thanks to their varied diet in the wilderness.

Lastly, even though salmon is a low-mercury seafood option, wild salmon have a higher chance of ingesting pollutants like plastics, chemicals, and mercury than farmed salmon.