Salmon Welfare Benchmarking and Industry Progress

Salmon welfare benchmarking initiatives allow comparison of welfare outcomes across producers, driving industry improvement by making welfare performance visible and comparable.

Key Facts

The Salmon Welfare Index developed by researchers at University of Queensland assesses welfare across 5 domains with quantitative scoring
Norwegian salmon farming uses the Operational Welfare Indicators system requiring mandatory reporting of mortality, sea lice counts and gill health scores
Producers with publicly committed welfare targets have shown measurable improvement in sea lice burden, mortality rates and handling protocols over 5-year periods
The Global Salmon Initiative includes welfare KPIs in its sustainability framework, reaching approximately 70% of global farmed salmon production
Research partnerships between producers and academic institutions have accelerated welfare science translation into practical on-farm protocols
Public reporting of welfare metrics creates reputational incentives for improvement and allows consumer choices to be informed by actual welfare outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Salmon welfare benchmarking represents one of the most promising developments in aquaculture welfare — making welfare outcomes visible, comparable and therefore subject to competitive improvement. Producers who report higher mortality, worse sea lice burdens or poorer gill health face reputational costs in premium markets. This creates market incentives for welfare investment that supplement regulatory requirements. The most effective benchmarking systems combine outcome-based measures with transparent public reporting, independent verification and progressive target-setting that moves the industry forward rather than simply documenting the status quo.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified under schemes that publish welfare outcome data including mortality and lice burden metrics
Ask retailers which salmon producers they source from and whether those producers participate in welfare benchmarking programmes
Support consumer advocacy organisations that analyse and publish salmon welfare data in accessible formats
Advocate for mandatory public welfare outcome reporting for salmon producers in major producing countries
Reduce farmed salmon consumption from producers not participating in welfare benchmarking or certification programmes