Wild Atlantic and Pacific salmon face welfare challenges throughout their lifecycle including catch-and-release angling trauma, barrier mortality at dams, and exhaustion during migration.
The welfare of wild salmon deserves consideration beyond conservation numbers. Individual fish experience thermal stress, exhaustion, injury from angling, and barrier-related trauma during migration. Warm water temperatures impair recovery from angling injury and reduce post-release survival. Welfare-conscious management of wild fisheries includes temperature-based fishing bans, barbless hook requirements, and dam removal to allow natural passage.