Wild Salmon Welfare: From River to Sea and Back

Atlantic wild salmon face cumulative welfare challenges across their extraordinary migratory life cycle including river barriers, sea lice, climate change, and fishing impacts.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon populations have declined by over 70% since the 1970s across their range in Europe and North America
Migratory barriers including hydroelectric dams prevent salmon reaching spawning grounds, causing population collapse in some rivers
Sea lice from salmon farms located near migration routes cause welfare harm to wild salmon passing through
River temperatures have increased beyond salmon thermal tolerance in summer months in many European rivers
Commercial and recreational fishing remove significant proportions of returning adults from already depleted populations
Catch-and-release fishing practices cause physical injury and delayed mortality estimated at 5-30% depending on conditions
Salmon face natural welfare challenges at spawning including fungal infections and physical deterioration during upstream migration
River restoration through dam removal and habitat improvement has produced measurable population recovery in some areas

Welfare Considerations

Wild Atlantic salmon experience welfare challenges distributed across one of the most extraordinary life cycles in the animal kingdom, from freshwater birth through ocean migration to spawning return. Human activities have added significantly to the natural welfare burdens of this migration: dams block passage, sea lice from aquaculture infect fish at vulnerable life stages, warming rivers push temperatures beyond tolerable limits, and fishing pressure removes returning adults. The aggregate welfare impact of these stressors on individual fish is significant, and the population-level consequences are catastrophic. Wild salmon welfare is therefore inseparable from conservation: addressing the welfare harms from migration barriers, aquaculture-derived sea lice, and fishing practices simultaneously serves both individual fish welfare and population recovery.

What You Can Do

Support river restoration organisations working to remove migration barriers and improve habitat quality
Advocate for aquaculture siting regulations that protect wild salmon migration routes from sea lice exposure
Practice catch-and-release with best-practice techniques to minimise injury and mortality if you fish for salmon
Support fishing regulations that protect the most depleted populations through seasonal and area restrictions
Learn about the wild salmon decline and share information about the cumulative threats they face