Marine Animals

Wild Salmon Welfare During Commercial Fishing

Wild-caught salmon experience significant welfare challenges in commercial fishing, from net entanglement to crowding and live handling during processing.

Key Facts

Pacific salmon runs have declined 90% from historical levels in many rivers
Crowded holding nets cause behavioral stress measurable in stress hormones
Live bleeding without stunning is standard in some commercial fisheries
Salmon demonstrate robust pain responses and rapid memory-based fear conditioning

Welfare Considerations

Wild salmon caught in purse seine nets experience hypoxia from crowding before death. Those that escape nets may sustain gill damage or fin loss. The welfare challenge in commercial fishing is balancing scale of operations against humane handling — individual attention is impractical at millions of fish.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified by programs with bycatch and handling standards
Support recovery of wild salmon populations through habitat restoration funding
Advocate for pre-slaughter stunning requirements in commercial fishing
Reduce salmon consumption to decrease pressure on both wild and farmed populations