From a recent conversation, I learned that some people no longer eat tilapia because of new news stories. To sum up, eating farm-raised tilapia might make inflammation worse, which can cause heart disease, arthritis, asthma, and other serious illnesses. There are fewer healthy nutrients in farm-raised fish, and there are a lot of antibiotics, pesticides, and organic pollutants that cause cancer.
Other fish that are often raised in farms and are affected by the same results are salmon, sea bass, catfish, swai, and cod. In fact, dioxin levels are 10 or more times higher in farmed salmon compared to wild salmon. Dioxin is a dangerous chemical that can stay in the body for over 10 years and cause cancer and other health problems.
I thought we were talking about fresh fish, not farmed fish, at the time, and I thought they wouldn’t want to eat a bottom-feeder. A bottom-feeder is any animal that lives in water and eats at or near the bottom of a body of water, like a lake, river, ocean, or pond. Some fish and shellfish that are bottom-feeders might surprise you. These are them: halibut, flounder, sole, cod, haddock, bass, carp, snapper, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, squid, octopus, catfish, shrimp, crabs, lobster, crayfish, snails, and shellfish.
While the name “bottom-feeders” sounds gross, they are actually very good for you because they live their whole lives in mineral-rich water. Shellfish provide vitamins and minerals often exceeding that of land-based animals or plants. So, oysters are a great way to get zinc, B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin E, copper, selenium, protein, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart. Clams, mussels and scallops are nearly equal in their benefits.
It’s true that bottom-feeders eat almost anything including other dead animals, which sounds disgusting. Fish at the bottom of the food chain are eaten by fish at the top, and it has always been this way. Since humans are at the top of the food chain, we will always eat bottom feeders, like fish, pigs, chicken, and any other animal that eats anything.
Heavy metals like mercury can be found in wild-caught fish, but small fish like anchovies, mackerel, etc. are not likely to have these metals. are considered too small to accumulate mercury. The fish most susceptible to heavy metals are flounder, sole and the larger predatory fish.
It is my opinion that our food supply is healthiest when man leaves nature to itself. I don’t know if man will ever learn that he cannot improve upon the design of creation. The farming methods used today produce a lot of food, but it has been changed chemically and genetically and is no longer healthy. Because we have to eat and live in this world, we should pick the best options we can find. Good luck and good health!.
This Saturday is the Darke County Singles Dance with the band “Cotton” from 8-11 p. m. at the Greenville VFW.
The Versailles Eagles Auxiliary “all you can eat” benefit breakfast buffet is on Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and is “open to the public.” m. -12:30 p. m. Adults $8, children under 10 $4 and children under 3 are free. Proceeds will benefit the VHS Show Choir students attending camp this summer.
Remember community meals are every Wednesday at Trinity Lutheran 4-7 p. m. and Bid Euchre Tournament in the Vet’s Club’s downstairs from 7-8:45 p. m. every Thursday.
Mark your calendar to attend the Trinity Lutheran Spaghetti Dinner on March 10 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
There are a lot of people celebrating their birthdays today. Happy birthday to Austin Penwell, Leah Jo Clark, Rob Quinter, Peggy Rehmert, Betsy Yagle, Marge Mayhew, Penny Elmore, Terri Wild, Scarlet Francis, Nancy Niekamp, Joyce Liette, Jane Stall, Tim Hiatt, Betty Mescher, Lyn Bliss, Emily Jasenski, Jodi Kremer, Jeanie Henry, David Steinmetz, Connie Brunswick, Jesse Sherman, Helen Gard, Brenda Reichard, and Brenda Reichard. To Lynn and Larry Hemmelgarn (28 years old), Elaine and Ron Marshall (33 years old), Lisa and Terry Barga (34 years old), Linda and Bill Spahr (40 years old), Angie and Ron Stauffer (45 years old), Ruth and John Peters (50 years old), Angie and Ken Phlipot (40 years old), Judie and Ron Stauffer (44 years old), Dixie and Mike Wehrkamp (??), and Maxine and Jack Sanders (76 years old), happy anniversary!
Many people are going through hard times in life. Please pray for Doris Monnin, the baby girl Reagan Otte, Lois Kindell, Chloe Grilliot, Sally Coomer, Renee Zumberger, Don Henry, Dawn (Marvin) Luthman, Frank Fullenkamp, Jeff O’Reilly, Norma Parin, Gary Daniel, Sharron Salley, Barb Kissinger, Cali Groff, Gene Oliver, Jack Hale, Janice Berger, Violet Bensman, Fr. Those who were killed include John White, Kellie Gehret, Jane Meier, Donna Apple, Michelle Sherman, Miriam Harman, Bob Miller, Iona Gariety, Steve Bey, Aiden Myers, Cyril Frantz, Carol Laub, Peggy Borgerding, Earl Gigandet, Marge Prakel, Norma Magoto, Samantha Smith, Virginia Smith, Mary Huelskamp, Anabelle Subler, Barb Goubeaux, and others who were hurt but were not named but are still getting better. and are in need of our prayers.
To the families and friends of Tammy Hoening (57), Jeffrey Paulus (61), and Vicky Jo Olwine (72), we send our deepest condolences. We also remember and hold in our hearts John Bey, Steven Peck, Jerome Subler, Marcia Field, Zachary Kelch, Mark Kremer, Tommy Edwards, Thelma Schultz, Kelly Bruns, Bert Young, Jim Phelan, Paul Fleenor, Ruth Hoelscher, Mary Margaret Hoelscher, Virginia Pittsenbarger, John Magoto (Russia), Delbert Blickenstaff, Helen Redmond, Ann George Wehrley, Vitalus “Jim” Barga, Alvin Luthman, Thelma Hiestand, Dorothy Brandewie, Ruthann Simon, Jack Richhart, Bob Christian, Gary Bey, John Henry, Chad Garrison, Lynn Topp, and everyone else who is in our hearts but not named.
“What you eat can be either the safest and strongest medicine or the poison that kills you slowly.” ” ~Unknown.
“What comes out of the mouth is what defiles the man, not what goes into the mouth.” ” ~Matthew 15:11.
Kathy Magoto writes a volunteer citizen column for The Daily Advocate every Friday. It’s about the community of Versailles. She can be reached at magmon1@embarqmail. com or at 526-3798. Feel free to contact her with Versailles news and tidbits. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.
Salmon are one of the most popular and nutritious fish on the market. Rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is a diet staple for many. People often think that salmon are bottom feeders that scrape food off the murky bottom of rivers and lakes. Is this true or simply an unfair reputation?.
The short answer is no salmon are not true bottom feeders. While they do swim deeper to chase prey at times their diet is quite varied across their complex lifecycle. Let’s dig into the facts on salmon habits and diet to understand why they don’t deserve the bottom feeder label.
The Wild Salmon Lifecycle
Salmon species like sockeye, coho, and king go from freshwater rivers to the ocean four times during their lives. Here’s a quick overview:
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Eggs are laid and fertilized in freshwater gravel beds. Babies emerge as ‘fry’ after 3-5 months.
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Juveniles or ‘smolts’ migrate downstream to the ocean where they feed and grow for 1-5 years,
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Adults return to their exact place of birth to spawn and die often swimming upstream against strong currents.
This complex cycle means salmon migrate between fresh and saltwater environments multiple times during their lifespan. Their diet and habitat changes quite a bit between life stages.
Salmon Fry and Juveniles – Foraging in Rivers and Estuaries
In their first months after hatching, salmon fry and juveniles stay in freshwater rivers, streams, and estuaries. They actively hunt for food during this stage rather than sitting and waiting for food to come to them.
Fry feast on tiny aquatic invertebrates like mayfly larvae, stonefly nymphs, and other small insects. As they grow into juveniles, they add small fish like minnows to their diet. At this stage, they methodically pick food from riverbeds, roots and trailing plants – but are not true bottom scavengers.
Smolt Migration – Opportunistic Ocean Feeding
After several months or years in freshwater, juvenile salmon undergo ‘smoltification’. This amazing biological adaptation allows them to transition to living in saltwater oceans.
Once smolts reach the nutrient-rich oceans, they go on a feeding frenzy. Their diet becomes much more varied, including shrimp, herring, pilchard, sand lance, squid and other small fish. They oppotunistically grab whatever prey they come across floating throughout the water column – not just at the sea floor.
Adults Show Complex Feeding Strategies
As adult salmon return to freshwater rivers to spawn, they stop eating completely. But at their full adult size in the ocean, they showcase complex feeding behaviors not just gobbling up whatever drifts by.
For instance, adult sockeye salmon exhibit fascinating group ambush tactics. Working together, they herd schools of herring into tight balls to more easily capture the nutrient-rich prey.
King salmon adults patrol deeper waters. Using keen eyesight, adults hunt for squid, herring, crustaceans and smaller fish that dwell near rocky reefs up to 300 feet deep.
Unique Characteristics of Bottom Feeders
True bottom feeders share a few key characteristics and adaptations that salmon lack:
- Flat, sideways-facing eyes to see above them and spot food sinking down.
- Downward facing mouths to consume food efficiently off the sea floor.
- Sensory whiskers called barbels to locate prey.
- Camouflage coloring to avoid predation from below.
Instead, salmon species have torpedo-shaped bodies and forked tails ideal for swimming swiftly to chase down prey. Their coloration and adaptations suit their open water lifestyle, unlike classic bottom feeders.
What About Farmed Salmon?
Farmed salmon are fed a formulated pellet food that floats at the top of pens so fish don’t have access to waste on pen bottoms. Pellet composition varies across farms but usually contains fishmeal, fish oil, soy or corn, vitamins, and minerals. Farm operators monitor and adjust feeding to avoid waste.
Some critics argue waste feed and fish waste does accumulate below farms, attracting wild fish to feed there. But the salmon themselves are not bottom feeding in their enclosures. And any wild fish gathering beneath are not incorporated into the farmed salmon that go to market. Strict regulations focus on keeping farmed salmon and their feed separate from wild fish.
Certain certification schemes like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council ensure farms have minimal impact on surrounding ecosystems and wild fish populations. So environmentally-certified farms avoid bottom feeding entirely.
Why the Bottom Feeder Misconception?
So why do some continue insisting salmon are bottom feeders when their complex life cycle shows otherwise? A few factors may contribute to this myth persisting:
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Confusion between wild vs. farmed salmon habits. Farmed fish confined in pens rely on floating feed.
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Assumption their pink-orange flesh comes from scavenging shrimp and algae. In reality, it’s from eating krill and other prey containing carotenoids.
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Unappetizing concept of bottom feeding leads some to insult salmon as muddy scavengers.
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Lack of knowledge about the salmon lifecycle and varied feeding strategies.
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Unflattering historical depictions of salmon as awkward bottom grubbers rather than powerful swimmers.
Regardless of how the myth originated, the facts about wild salmon diet and adaptations show they do not live up to the bottom feeder reputation.
Healthy Salmon Nutrition
Beyond debunking myths, the most important factor when eating any seafood is its nutritional value. And salmon shine in this regard.
Some key healthy nutrients salmon provide include:
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High quality protein – around 20g per 3.5 ounce serving.
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Omega-3 fatty acids – over 2g per serving to reduce inflammation and heart disease risk.
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Vitamin B12, selenium, and potassium.
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Astaxanthin – a unique antioxidant giving salmon meat its pink hue.
So salmon provide hefty amounts of nutrients essential for human health. Their diet composed of krill, small fish and plant material provides the building blocks for healthy salmon flesh.
Sustainable Salmon Choices
With wild salmon populations under pressure, making informed seafood choices is important. There are a few guidelines to source salmon sustainably:
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Choose wild Pacific salmon like sockeye, coho and pink salmon which have healthy stocks.
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Check where your salmon is sourced from and how it was caught. Select salmon marked as ‘Alaskan’ or ‘wild-caught’.
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Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue label indicating certified sustainable fisheries.
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Pick canned salmon as a budget option, ideally marked “Alaskan” or MSC-certified.
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Opt for salmon farmed in well-managed operations marked by certification labels.
While salmon face their share of environmental challenges, they remain one of the healthier, more sustainable fish choices available.
Labels like “bottom feeder” oversimplify the feeding habits of diverse fish species like salmon. In reality, salmon display complex behaviors matched to their varied habitats across their lifecycle. While they occasionally pursue prey towards ocean floors, their physiologies and diets clearly show salmon are not true bottom feeders. Beyond dispelling this myth, salmon provide top nutritional value and can be an eco-friendly addition to our diets when sourced wisely.
The 9 Best Bottom Feeder Fish For Your Aquarium
FAQ
What seafood are bottom feeders?
What bottom feeder fish to avoid eating?
How do you tell if a fish is a bottom feeder?
Is tuna fish bottom feeder?
What do bottom feeder fish eat?
Bottom feeder fish typically eat a variety of foods, including algae, detritus, and small organisms that live on the bottom of the water. Some bottom feeders also eat decaying plant matter and other organic material. What is the best food for bottom feeder fish? The best food for bottom feeder fish depends on the specific species.
What is a bottom feeder fish?
A bottom feeder is a fish that spends much of its time feeding along the bottom surface of a body of water. They consume food that has settled on the lake bed, river bottom, or ocean floor. Common freshwater bottom feeders include: Well-known saltwater bottom feeders are:
Which fish are not bottom feeders?
Here are which fish are not bottom feeders (Non bottom feeding fish List) 1. Salmon is a popular fish choice for many people and a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also a relatively inexpensive choice that doesn’t contribute to overfishing or excessive bycatch. 2.
Can you eat bottom feeder fish?
It is generally safe to eat bottom feeder fish, as long as they are properly cooked and prepared. However, some bottom feeder fish may contain higher levels of mercury or other contaminants, so it is important to research the specific species before consuming. What are some examples of non-bottom feeder fish?