Atlantic and Pacific salmon face severe welfare threats from river barriers, warming water, sea lice, and overfishing. Understanding these threats from a welfare perspective adds urgency to salmon conservation.
Wild salmon welfare is shaped by the gauntlet they must run between ocean feeding grounds and freshwater spawning sites. River barriers physically prevent migration, blocking the biological drive to reach spawning grounds and causing death. Warming rivers cause thermal stress and alter the timing of key life events. Sea lice infestations from aquaculture operations create open wounds across the body, impairing osmoregulation and causing constant irritation. Catch-and-release angling, while preferable to killing, still causes acute stress and injury if fish are handled roughly or kept out of water too long. The welfare case for wild salmon conservation aligns precisely with the ecological case — healthier rivers with fewer barriers, lower temperatures, and reduced lice exposure support both individual welfare and population recovery.