Eating fish is part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, low in saturated fat, helps with healing, aids in preventing strokes and heart attacks, lowers blood pressure and increases brain function. Both farmed and wild fish offer these nutritional benefits but there are slight differences between the two. The quality of the nutrients depends upon living conditions and the food the fish consume.
Calories
Calories in farmed and wild fish vary slightly depending on the type of fish. For example, farmed Atlantic salmon has 178 calories per 100 grams while wild salmon has 216 calories. Farmed catfish has 119 calories for a 100 gram serving while the same size wild catfish has 95 calories. Like salmon, farmed rainbow trout has more calories with 168, compared to wild rainbow trout with 119. Other farmed and wild fish will also vary in calorie count with no correlation between whether the fish is farmed or wild and if the calories are higher or lower.
Protein
Protein values depend upon the type of fish rather than whether it is farmed or wild. For instance, farmed salmon provides 22 grams of protein for a 100-gram serving while wild salmon has slightly more protein with 26 grams. Farmed catfish also has slightly less protein per serving with 15 grams while wild catfish provides 17 grams of protein. Farmed rainbow trout has 24 grams of protein per 100 grams, slightly higher than the wild variety at 21 grams of protein. Calculate protein values according to each particular fish to determine whether the farmed or wild fish has more protein.
Fat
All fish is low in fat no matter if it is farmed or wild. Most types of fish range from 1 to 3 grams of saturated fat. Cooking fish lowers the fat content even more. Farmed and wild fish provide healthy sources of low-fat protein and are cholesterol free.
Vitamins
Farmed and wild fish are rich in vitamin B-12, vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin D, vitamin B5 and omega-3 fatty acids. The difference between the vitamin content in farmed fish and wild fish is negligible. For instance, both farmed rainbow trout and wild rainbow trout provide 5 milligrams of niacin and 4 grams of vitamin B-12 per 100 gram serving. Choosing either farmed or wild fish will add a rich source of vitamins to your diet.
Minerals
Minerals in farmed fish and wild fish include magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and iron. The differences in the mineral daily values in farmed and wild fish are small. For example, farmed catfish contains 19 milligrams of magnesium and 302 milligrams of potassium per 100 grams while wild catfish has 23 milligrams of magnesium and 358 milligrams of potassium. The magnesium content of farmed rainbow trout is 25 milligrams and the magnesium in wild trout is 31 milligrams per serving. Both farmed fish and wild fish are major sources of minerals.
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