Pre-slaughter stunning of farmed salmon is becoming industry standard in leading producing nations — the welfare case is clear and the technology is proven.
Pre-slaughter stunning for farmed salmon is the most impactful single welfare intervention in salmon aquaculture. The welfare gain is direct and substantial: preventing minutes of conscious suffering during death for every salmon harvested. The technology is proven, commercially viable at scale, and increasingly required by major certification schemes. The primary barrier to universal adoption is cost of equipment and regulatory lag in smaller producing nations. Consumer demand for certified welfare-positive salmon products creates market incentives for producer adoption — and the certification landscape has matured to the point where welfare-positive salmon purchasing is practically achievable for consumers in major markets. Continuing to advocate for pre-slaughter stunning as a universal regulatory requirement closes the remaining welfare gap for this numerically enormous species.