Wrasse Welfare in Salmon Lice Control

Cleaner wrasse are widely used in salmon farming to control sea lice, but serious welfare concerns surround their capture, transport, and use.

Key Facts

Wrasse eat sea lice directly from salmon, providing a non-chemical pest control method
Millions of wild-caught wrasse are used annually in Norwegian and Scottish salmon farming
Wild-caught wrasse suffer high mortality rates during capture, transport, and tank holding
Farmed wrasse are an alternative but welfare in wrasse aquaculture also needs attention

Welfare Considerations

Wrasse used as cleaner fish in salmon farming face multiple welfare challenges. Wild-caught individuals experience capture stress, transport, and housing in unfamiliar dense conditions often without appropriate habitat structure. Mortality rates of 50-80% within the first few weeks of deployment have been documented. The welfare of these small, cognitively complex reef fish has been substantially overlooked in the drive to find non-chemical sea lice solutions. Welfare standards for cleaner fish, including minimum shelter requirements, group housing, and limits on capture methods, are still developing and inconsistently applied.

What You Can Do

Support salmon certification schemes that include cleaner fish welfare requirements
Advocate for development of farmed wrasse operations with adequate welfare standards
Encourage salmon producers to reduce sea lice pressure through other means, lessening reliance on cleaner fish
Support research into welfare-friendly cleaner fish housing and husbandry protocols