Wild Atlantic Salmon Welfare and Conservation

Wild Atlantic salmon face cumulative welfare challenges from habitat degradation, warming waters, and sea lice from farms.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon populations have declined by 70% over 30 years in many river systems
Wild salmon must navigate barriers, warm water thermal refugia, and sea lice on migration
Sea lice from fish farms amplify naturally occurring lice burdens on wild salmon
Catch-and-release angling causes acute stress but mortality is low with good practice
Temperature increases are pushing thermal tolerance limits for salmon in many rivers

Welfare Considerations

Wild Atlantic salmon face welfare stressors across their entire life cycle. Juvenile salmon in rivers face habitat degradation, abstraction, and elevated temperatures. Sea-phase salmon face sea lice burdens amplified by fish farm proximity, predation, and physical barriers during upstream migration. Adult spawning fish endure extreme physiological stress of migration and breeding. Conservation of wild salmon populations is simultaneously an ecological and welfare imperative.

What You Can Do

Support river restoration projects that improve salmon habitat and migration routes
Advocate for fish farm management that reduces sea lice impact on wild fish
Practice catch-and-release angling with minimum air exposure and barbless hooks
Support policies reducing water abstraction that reduces flow and raises temperatures
Learn about the ecology and welfare challenges of wild salmon in your region