Farmed Atlantic salmon face welfare challenges related to their biological and behavioural needs as active, migratory fish housed in static cage environments.
Farmed salmon welfare involves the fundamental challenge of housing an active, migratory species in static confinement. Wild salmon range enormous distances through diverse environments - from freshwater rivers to ocean feeding grounds and back. The cage environment cannot replicate this biological and psychological complexity. Welfare research has identified indicators including stereotypic circling, fin damage, cataract prevalence, and crowding behaviour that reflect the mismatch between natural needs and cage conditions. Welfare improvements available within the existing cage model include density reduction, environmental enrichment, and better disease management - none of which fully resolves the fundamental incompatibility.