One of the largest retail stores in America, spanning across the different states with over 500 stores in the country is the Costco Wholesale Corporation. They are impossible to miss and sell at a relatively cheap price. But as we all know, “cheap” doesn’t necessarily equate to quality especially for protein products such as fish.

If you incorporate fish into your protein diet, it is important to know if the fish produce contains heart safe and healthy fat or if it is just layers of unhealthy toxic preservatives within. So, you may likely ask, is Costco Salmon wild-caught? Let’s take the time to analyze the hidden truths behind the process of this corporation's salmon production and distribution process.

The “Typical” Costco Salmon

The typical salmon found at Costco are Northwest Fish Wild White King Salmon and the Northwest Fish Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Both fishes are said MSC certified seafood, sustainably rich in omega 3 fatty acid with no preservatives or artificial ingredients contained within as described by Costco. The salmon fishes are available in fillet cuts, all year round in 4-6 oz portions. They can be ordered from the Costco website on all weekdays excluding weekends.

Production Process of Costco Salmon

While Costco claims its Northwest Fish White King Salmon is troll caught and the Northwest Fish Wild Sockeye Salmon is from the ”pristine waters in Alaska”, this may not necessarily be true. According to reviews on Costco Connection in 2019 to dispute myths on Costco fish and state facts concerning the salmon from the corporation, Costco Salmon was stated to be FARMED! The farmed salmon is usually handled by Norwegian fish farmers and are not raised without antibiotics.

This reality is farfetched from the company’s claim on the sales website of wild-caught fish from the deep waters in Alaska. As many big corporations do, Costco apparently will also sell a sweet tale to customers just to get their product sold in the fastest possible way. The farmed salmon fishes are expected especially with the enormous supply demands and the availability status all year round.

It should be noted that although several articles state that Costco fish are farmed in Norway, it is not rightly stated if “all” salmon sold in Costco are farmed. Also, despite the sale of farmed salmon at Costco, their products are considered safe. The Marine Steward Council vets Costco Salmon as an antibiotic-free product, containing no preservatives. The salmon is relatively tasty too, with a Washington Post best-tasting salmon win stamped on the product in 2013. 

Costco Salmon Controversies

Big corporations are always at the mercy of controversies and wild myths spread about their products. This is mainly attributed to the large production purchase and hundreds of stores present nationwide. So, Costco and its salmon have been no different.

Since 2015, Costco made a major change in their salmon supplier from Chilean producers who were infamous for their antibiotic farmed salmon to Norwegian suppliers producing non-artificially coloured bright red fresh salmons free from preservatives and antibiotics. Even so, the healthy nature of their salmon is still questionable.

In 2019, PIX11 News made a report about worms found in salmon fish. The video evidence was uploaded unto their youtube page following the discovery of worms in the salmon fish. This occurrence is not a new one as many other reports have shown that there are white worms commonly found in “wild-caught” fishes bought from Costco.

Parasites such as worms are not an unusual occurrence when dealing with fish or any other seafood. Their presence is not a sign of infection or an indication of but happens naturally considering the large expanse of water and the antibiotic-free nature of the fish. High heat is enough to kill any worm found in salmon but the big problem that arises is when these salmon fishes re to be eaten raw in sushi. The safety of these fishes is then questionable and dangerous for raw eating. Is it then enough to eat fishes with parasites in the assurance that heat will do the trick or can these fishes be rated as “bad” and cast aside? Well, the answer is dependent on you and your dietary preferences. But not all salmon fishes in Costco contain worms and these occurrences are once in blue moon events that happened over a year ago.

Salmons at Costco are available all year round and the Norwegian farmed seafood is vetted by the MSC. The wild-caught status on the website might hold a very strong question mark attached to it but Costco Salmon still remains a strong contender as one of the best most affordable salmon in stores nationwide.

If you have had any encounter or heard any news concerning Costco salmon, please leave a comment down below. To avoid any unhealthy choices when choosing salmon, check out Sprouts Farmers Market video on “How To Pick Your Salmon” and share your experience with us.