The hours before slaughter in farmed salmon represent one of the most acute welfare challenges in aquaculture, with crowding, handling, and transport causing measurable physiological stress.
Pre-slaughter stress in salmon is not merely an animal welfare concern — it also degrades product quality, creating commercial incentives aligned with welfare improvement. But the welfare case stands independently: salmon exhibit pain-relevant behaviors, cortisol stress responses, and avoidance learning that collectively indicate capacity for negative experience. The minutes to hours of crowding, pump handling, and transport before slaughter expose fish to intense, sustained stress at the end of their lives. Ice slurry chilling without prior stunning involves a slow loss of consciousness during which fish show distress behaviors. Percussive or electrical stunning renders fish insensible before killing and is increasingly adopted by welfare-conscious producers. Consumer demand for humane slaughter certification can drive industry adoption.