Farmed Salmon Pre-Slaughter Welfare Improvements

Evidence-based improvements to pre-slaughter handling and stunning to reduce salmon suffering during harvest.

Key Facts

Norway alone produces over 1.4 million tonnes of farmed Atlantic salmon annually
Pre-slaughter crowding stress in salmon causes severe physiological and behavioral stress responses
Traditional slaughter methods including asphyxiation and CO2 exposure cause prolonged conscious suffering
Percussive stunning followed immediately by gill cutting is the most welfare-positive current slaughter method
Electrical stunning of salmon requires precise parameters to ensure effective unconsciousness before killing
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority mandates effective stunning before killing for farmed salmon

Welfare Considerations

Salmon slaughter welfare has improved significantly in leading producer countries but remains poor across much of global production. Fish experience pre-slaughter crowding, handling, and in many cases prolonged conscious death through methods that would be illegal for terrestrial animals in the same jurisdictions. The evidence that salmon are sentient and capable of experiencing pain and stress makes this disparity morally indefensible. Extending humane slaughter requirements to all farmed fish species and improving enforcement of existing standards are urgent welfare priorities.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon products certified by programs with verified welfare-positive slaughter requirements
Support regulatory standards requiring effective stunning before killing for all farmed fish
Advocate for industry adoption of percussive or electrical stunning across the salmon farming sector
Support research into fish welfare at slaughter and less stressful pre-harvest handling methods