Salmon: carbon footprint per kg
Live factor value
5.55 kgCO2e per kg
Source: Agribalyse (ADEME/INRAE, France), 3.1 (revision 1). Factor set agribalyse-3.1-r1.
Farmed salmon sits in the middle of the protein table: the live figure below, from France's official Agribalyse database, reflects feed production — the dominant emission source in aquaculture — plus farm energy and processing.
Per kilogram it is broadly comparable to poultry, well below beef and lamb, and above pulses and most wild-caught white fish. Feed composition drives most of the variation between salmon farms.
Worked example
One 250 g salmon fillet: 0.25 × 5.55 = 1.4 kgCO2e.
Measure your own with the free food calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- Is farmed salmon higher-carbon than wild-caught?
- They are broadly comparable on average: farming adds feed-production emissions, while wild fishing adds fuel burn. Both sit far below ruminant meat per kilogram.