Advanced understanding of wrasse behavioral and habitat needs is improving cleaner fish welfare standards in salmon aquaculture biological lice control programs.
Wrasse welfare in salmon aquaculture has advanced from near-zero consideration to active standard development as the scale of cleaner fish use has drawn welfare scrutiny. The deployment of millions of wrasse annually in conditions where their behavioral and environmental needs are largely unmet represents a significant welfare burden. The discovery that wrasse cognitive complexity is comparable to other recognized welfare-priority fish species has strengthened the ethical case for welfare standard implementation. Practical improvements — shelter provision, species-appropriate diet, temperature management — are being incorporated into new RSPCA Assured and Norwegian salmon certification standards.