Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Climate Change Welfare Risks

Climate change is creating increasing welfare challenges for farmed salmon through warmer waters, sea lice population increases, and harmful algal blooms.

Key Facts

Sea temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius stress Atlantic salmon significantly
Warmer waters increase sea lice reproduction rates requiring more treatments
Jellyfish blooms associated with warming damage salmon gills and skin
Mass mortality events are becoming more frequent in warming Atlantic sea farms

Welfare Considerations

Farmed salmon experiencing thermal stress have reduced immune function, increased disease susceptibility, and elevated mortality rates. Climate change is making current farming locations progressively more challenging for salmon welfare. This creates pressure to either adopt welfare-protective technologies like closed containment or shift to naturally cooler locations. Without proactive adaptation, climate change will worsen salmon welfare across the entire industry.

What You Can Do

Support salmon from closed-containment or land-based systems less affected by climate
Advocate for salmon welfare regulations that require climate adaptation planning
Reduce salmon consumption given increasing welfare challenges from climate impacts
Support research on climate-resilient salmon aquaculture approaches