Wild Salmon Welfare: Migration, Predation, and Fishing

Wild Atlantic and Pacific salmon undertake some of the most extraordinary migrations in nature, but face welfare challenges from dams, fishing, climate change, and sea lice from fish farms.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon populations have declined by 80% in the North Atlantic since the 1970s
Salmon must run gauntlets of fishing nets, seals, and dams during migration
Sea lice from salmon farms infest wild salmon passing through farm-dense fjords
Upstream migration is physiologically extreme — salmon do not eat during the final freshwater phase
Catch-and-release angling causes physiological stress that can be fatal in warm water

Welfare Considerations

Wild salmon experience welfare harms across their entire lifecycle. Juvenile salmon face predation, river pollution, and abstraction. Adult salmon navigating migration face fishing pressure, predation, and exhaustion. Sea lice infestations from farm salmon cause skin lesions and osmoregulatory disruption. High water temperatures during upstream migration cause heat stress and increase mortality. Each of these welfare harms has identifiable causes and potential interventions that simultaneously benefit conservation and individual welfare.

What You Can Do

Support river restoration projects removing obsolete dams
Advocate for fish passage requirements at all river barriers
Reduce or time catch-and-release angling to cool conditions only
Support campaigns for farm salmon sea lice reduction
Choose Atlantic salmon from certified sustainable sources or reduce consumption