Wrasse Welfare in Salmon Aquaculture

Wrasse and lumpfish are used as cleaner fish in salmon farming to control sea lice, but their own welfare needs are often neglected.

Key Facts

Ballan wrasse and goldsinny wrasse are commonly used as cleaner fish in salmon cage systems
Wrasse are wild-caught or increasingly farmed, with wild-caught fish having poor survival rates
Wrasse mortality in salmon pens can reach 50-90%, often unmonitored
Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) are increasingly preferred for their hardiness
Wrasse have complex territorial and cognitive needs incompatible with salmon pen conditions

Welfare Considerations

Wrasse used as cleaner fish experience profoundly unsuitable conditions in salmon sea cages. Wild-caught wrasse are highly territorial and shelter-dependent fish placed into alien environments with a different species. High mortality suggests chronic stress and disease. Farmed wrasse face welfare challenges throughout their production including crowding and transport. The welfare costs to cleaner fish must be weighed against their benefits in sea lice control when evaluating integrated pest management systems.

What You Can Do

Support seafood certification schemes that include cleaner fish welfare requirements
Advocate for welfare standards for wrasse and lumpfish in aquaculture regulations
Support research into alternatives to cleaner fish for sea lice control
Ask salmon suppliers about their cleaner fish mortality monitoring practices