Yes, coho salmon is farmed on a large scale. Chile is by far the world’s dominant producer, harvesting over 200,000 metric tons of farmed coho annually. While coho also exists as a wild-caught Pacific species, the coho you find in grocery stores and restaurants is very likely farm-raised, especially if it was frozen or processed.
Chile Produces Nearly All Farmed Coho
Chile is the world’s second-largest farmed salmon producer overall, behind Norway. Within Chile’s salmon industry, coho represents about 19% of total output, with Atlantic salmon making up the bulk at roughly 73%. That 19% still translates to enormous volume. In 2024, Chile exported 220,000 tons of coho salmon, a 25% jump from the previous year. The first quarter of 2025 alone saw nearly 88,500 tons shipped, suggesting the pace is accelerating.
The primary buyers of Chilean farmed coho are the United States, Japan, and Brazil. Those three markets alone account for close to $4 billion in coho salmon sales. Emerging markets like Vietnam and Russia are also growing as destinations. If you’re buying coho in a U.S. supermarket, there’s a strong chance it was raised in Chilean waters.
Why Coho Is Popular With Farmers
Coho has traits that make it well suited to aquaculture. Its life cycle from smolt to market size runs 18 to 20 months, which is shorter than the roughly three-year cycle for Atlantic salmon. That faster turnaround means quicker returns for producers. Coho also shows high resistance to common fish diseases, reducing losses during production. The flesh has a firm texture and milder flavor compared to other salmon species, which appeals to markets in Asia and South America where strong fishy taste is less desirable.
How Farmed Coho Is Raised
Most farmed coho grows in open net pens suspended in coastal marine waters. These are large mesh enclosures anchored in bays or fjords where ocean water flows through naturally. In Chile, the cold, clean waters of the southern Patagonian coast provide the primary farming environment. Net-pen systems are the industry standard because they’re relatively inexpensive to operate and scale up.
A newer approach uses land-based recirculating aquaculture systems, or RAS, where fish grow in enclosed tanks on shore. Water is filtered and recycled rather than flowing through from the ocean. These systems offer real advantages: farmers can control temperature, oxygen levels, and water quality precisely, and waste doesn’t get deposited into the surrounding marine environment. RAS facilities can also be built closer to the markets they serve, cutting transportation costs. The trade-off is significantly higher operating costs, which has limited widespread adoption so far. Still, as open-water conditions become less predictable due to rising temperatures, algal blooms, and low-oxygen events, land-based systems are gaining attention as a more stable alternative.
Farmed vs. Wild Coho
Wild coho salmon runs throughout the Pacific Northwest, from California up through Alaska, as well as in parts of Russia and Japan. Wild-caught coho is seasonal, typically available fresh from mid-summer through fall. Farmed coho, by contrast, is available year-round and dominates the frozen and processed market.
The nutritional profiles differ somewhat. Farmed coho tends to be higher in total fat because the fish get consistent, calorie-dense feed and don’t expend energy migrating. Wild coho is leaner and often has a more pronounced flavor. Both are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, though the specific fatty acid ratios can vary depending on what the farmed fish were fed.
Feed efficiency is one metric worth knowing. Under optimized conditions, farmed coho converts feed into body weight at a ratio of roughly 1.5 to 1.7 pounds of feed per pound of fish gained. That’s less efficient than Atlantic salmon, which typically hits ratios closer to 1.2 or 1.3, partly explaining why Atlantic salmon dominates global aquaculture while coho occupies a smaller niche.
How to Tell What You’re Buying
Labeling rules vary by location, but the trend is toward clearer identification. Washington State, for instance, passed a law in 2013 requiring all retail salmon to be labeled as either wild-caught Pacific salmon or farm-raised. This came after widespread mislabeling fraud was documented in both grocery stores and restaurants. At the federal level, the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law requires retailers to identify where seafood was farmed or caught.
In practice, if your coho salmon label says “Product of Chile,” it’s farmed. If it says “Alaska” or “Pacific Northwest” without specifying farmed, it’s almost certainly wild-caught, since coho farming in the U.S. is minimal. Canned coho is more commonly wild, while frozen fillets are more commonly farmed. Restaurants are the weak link in the labeling chain, as menu descriptions are less regulated and mislabeling remains common in the food service industry.