Wild Pacific and Atlantic salmon populations are declining due to multiple human-caused stressors. Viewing these pressures through a welfare lens reveals both the scale of suffering and the pathways to prevention.
Wild salmon welfare is a cascading story of compound stress. Each barrier a migrating salmon must pass depletes energy reserves it needs for reproduction. Each warm water section it swims through weakens its immune system. Each sea louse attaches and feeds. By the time a salmon reaches its spawning ground, it may have spent weeks navigating obstacles that healthy river systems would not impose. The welfare dimension of salmon conservation — viewing each fish as an individual experiencing this gauntlet — adds moral urgency to what might otherwise be framed purely as ecological or fishery management concerns.