Wild salmon fisheries cause welfare impacts through bycatch of non-target salmon populations, handling stress, and catch-and-release practices. Welfare-conscious fishing practices can reduce these impacts.
Wild salmon face welfare impacts from both commercial and recreational fisheries. In commercial settings, non-target salmon populations are caught as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species, experiencing the stress of net capture and discard. Recreational catch-and-release fishing returns fish alive but causes physiological stress — elevated lactate, oxygen debt, and cortisol — that can cause death hours after release if fish are exhausted or handled poorly. Best practices including minimal air exposure, barbless hooks, and use of landing nets reduce post-release mortality. Wild salmon near fish farm sea cage sites experience sea lice infestation that causes skin damage and immune stress.