Dams and migration barriers prevent salmon from reaching spawning grounds, causing energy depletion, injury and death that affect millions of individual fish each year.
The welfare of individual migrating salmon is directly linked to the barriers they encounter. Each additional obstacle depletes energy reserves, extends migration time and exposes fish to crowding-induced stress and injury. Fish that exhaust their reserves die before spawning, representing not only an ecological loss but a welfare harm — the fish has performed its entire migration only to fail at the final stage. Dam removal is the most effective and permanent welfare and conservation intervention available. Where dams cannot be removed, improved fish passage design, spill protocols during migration and cold-water releases can reduce individual suffering significantly.