Wild Salmon Welfare: Rivers, Dams, and Migration

Wild Atlantic and Pacific salmon face catastrophic population declines from dams, habitat degradation, and climate change. Each of these threats also causes significant welfare harm to individual salmon completing their remarkable migrations.

Key Facts

Wild Atlantic salmon populations in many European rivers have declined by over 70% since the 1970s.
Salmon migrating through hydroelectric turbines face injury and mortality from blade strikes and pressure changes.
River temperature increases from climate change cause thermal stress and mortality for temperature-sensitive salmonids.
Dam removal has successfully restored salmon migrations in rivers including the Elwha in Washington State.
Pacific salmon populations vary enormously — some runs are thriving while others are critically endangered.

Welfare Considerations

Wild salmon swimming upstream to spawn experience extraordinary physiological transformation and effort. Barriers including dams, weirs, and blocked culverts prevent migration completion, causing individuals to exhaust themselves attempting to pass impassable obstacles. Fish ladders and passage facilities allow some individuals to pass but with energy costs that reduce reproductive success. Turbine strike injuries cause immediate trauma and delayed mortality. Thermal stress from warming rivers causes immune suppression and behavioral changes. The welfare case for dam removal and river restoration aligns precisely with the conservation case.

What You Can Do

Support dam removal campaigns on rivers with blocked salmon migration.
Donate to Atlantic Salmon Federation, Pacific Rivers Council, and similar organizations.
Advocate for fish passage requirements as conditions of dam relicensing.
Reduce carbon footprint to mitigate climate-driven river temperature increases.
Participate in citizen science river monitoring programs tracking salmon populations.