Atlantic and Pacific salmon undergo one of the most extraordinary life journeys in the animal kingdom — facing welfare challenges from ocean nets to river obstacles to spawning exhaustion.
Salmon caught in gillnets drown over extended periods. Bears and eagles that catch salmon cause traumatic predation deaths. Fish ladders are physiologically demanding — exhausted salmon may die before reaching spawning grounds. Dam removal — increasingly pursued in the US and Europe — is the most significant welfare improvement possible for wild salmon populations.