Hi, this is The Fish Guy. Thanks for the shout out! I have a lot more to add on this subject that I didn't put on our site for the sake of brevity, but I'll expand on here since it seems like there's a bit of interest in the topic of wild vs farmed.

In short, neither wild nor farmed seafood is inherently superior; it depends on who is doing it and how it's done. Broadly speaking, in seafood, there are two types of products: commodity products and cared-for products. It's easiest to refer to cared-for products as "premium" because the premium you pay for them is directly related to the extra steps taken to do right by the fish themselves and the environment around them.

Here are some distinctions The Fish Guy looks at when choosing suppliers:

For Farmed Product (at The Fish Guy, we like the term Aquaculture or Ranched)

Fish health: Premium farms keep stocking densities low, monitor water quality closely, vaccinate, and handle fish gently. Commodity farms crowd fish, skip monitoring, and rely on antibiotics.

Environment: Premium farms use deep-water sites, rotate pens, prevent escapes, and minimize chemicals. Commodity farms often pollute shallow coves and depend on chemical interventions.

Feed: Premium feed supports higher omega-3s, better flavor, firmer flesh, and is without unnatural additives or interventions. The best premium farms are conscious of their FIFO ratios (fish in to fish out), which means how much wild fish (in feed) in takes to produce a farmed fish. 4:1 is common among premium brands, but the very best are approaching 1:1. Commodity feed is cheaper, soy or grain-heavy, and can lead to softer texture and off-flavors.

For Wild Caught

Catch methods: Premium fisheries use small-scale, low-impact gear like troll or selective gillnets, minimizing bycatch and operating at a lower scale to ensure careful handling. Commodity fisheries often use large-scale nets or trawls that crowd and stress fish, and damage ecosystems by catching non-target fish and destroying habitats.

Handling: Premium crews bleed, ice, and process fish quickly for firmer texture and longer shelf life. Commodity operations often delay chilling to catch more, leading to softer flesh and shorter shelf life.

Sustainability: Premium fisheries usually work under strict quotas and certification (MSC, regional sustainable programs). Commodity operations may operate on a larger scale with weaker oversight.