Atlantic Salmon Population Collapse and Welfare

Wild Atlantic salmon populations have collapsed across most of their historic range, with welfare implications for millions of individual fish.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon populations have declined over 80% in recent decades across their range
Hydroelectric dams block migration routes essential for spawning
Sea lice from salmon farms devastate wild smolts during ocean entry
Climate change is warming rivers beyond thermal tolerance for salmon
Some Canadian and European rivers have lost their salmon populations entirely

Welfare Considerations

The collapse of wild Atlantic salmon populations represents both a conservation catastrophe and a welfare concern for the individual fish affected. Fish attempting to migrate past dam barriers, through sea lice gauntlets near fish farms, and up warming rivers face cumulative stressors that cause physiological and likely experiential suffering. Conservation actions that restore habitat, remove migration barriers, and regulate farm impacts near wild salmon rivers will both prevent extinction and reduce the suffering of individual wild fish navigating increasingly hostile environments.

What You Can Do

Support dam removal projects on Atlantic salmon rivers
Advocate for regulations separating open-water salmon farms from wild salmon migration routes
Choose sustainably certified wild or farmed salmon alternatives
Donate to Atlantic salmon restoration and habitat organizations
Reduce personal carbon footprint to slow river warming threatening salmon