Pre-slaughter welfare in farmed salmon is an area of active research and regulation, with effective stunning before killing critical for preventing the suffering associated with conscious killing of fish.
Pre-slaughter salmon welfare represents one of the success stories of applied fish welfare science, demonstrating that evidence-based regulation can drive meaningful industry-wide improvement. The previous industry standard of killing salmon by live chilling or carbon dioxide immersion caused prolonged conscious suffering that is now well-documented in the scientific literature. The shift to percussion stunning followed by immediate bleeding, now required by Norwegian regulations and many certification schemes, substantially reduces the duration and severity of the slaughter event welfare impact. The challenge is maintaining this standard across the global supply chain, as standards vary significantly between producing countries. Consumer and retailer purchasing standards that require welfare-certified slaughter practices have been important in extending these improvements beyond regulatory jurisdictions.