Aquatic Animals

Farmed Salmon Welfare: A Comprehensive Overview

Atlantic salmon farming raises multiple welfare concerns from sea lice to crowding to handling stress; welfare standards vary widely globally.

Key Facts

Norway produces 1.4 million tonnes of farmed salmon annually
Mortality rates in Norwegian salmon farming average 15-20% per production cycle
Sea lice, amoebic gill disease, and cardiomyopathy are leading welfare problems
Norway has implemented welfare indicators and scoring systems for salmon farms

Welfare Considerations

Farmed salmon face multiple simultaneous welfare challenges including parasites, disease, crowding, poor water quality, and stressful handling during harvest. Norway has implemented welfare-based scoring systems for salmon farms, driving improvements across the industry. Consumer choice and certification schemes create market pressure for improved welfare standards.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon from farms with the best available welfare certification
Support aquaculture technology transitions to enclosed land-based systems
Advocate for mandatory welfare monitoring in salmon farming regulation
Reduce salmon consumption from operations without welfare accountability