Carotenoids are produced by algae, plants and certain fungi.
Feeding fish higher-level animals in the food web (like crustaceans or fish that predate on crustaceans) concentrates the carotenoids and brings out more and more color in the fish, specifically red.
yfw that color actually comes from crustaceans they eat: 🤯
Might as well call it crustacean pink instead. That name sounds much better than a word with a silent L.
Carotenoids are produced by algae, plants and certain fungi.
Feeding fish higher-level animals in the food web (like crustaceans or fish that predate on crustaceans) concentrates the carotenoids and brings out more and more color in the fish, specifically red.
And mercury right?
Mercury is more highly concentrated in higher-level organisms in a similar fashion, yes.
But mercury itself has nothing to do with coloring.
This is also the source of a flamingo’s colour. The debate if salmon are fishy flamingos or flamingos are feathery salmon has yet to be settled.
I thought Salmon were actually gray on the inside? Is this a farm raised versus wild thing?
Farm-raised salmon are usually pink. Wild caught salmon are usually bright red.