How selective breeding in Atlantic salmon affects welfare traits and what the industry can do to breed for welfare alongside production traits.
Salmon genetics and welfare intersect at the fundamental level of what traits are selected for in breeding programs. Decades of selection for rapid growth have inadvertently reduced immune function and stress tolerance while increasing pathological conditions including cataracts, which affect a majority of farmed salmon. Progressive breeding programs are now including disease resistance, stress response, and physical conformation as selection traits alongside growth and feed conversion, representing a welfare-informed shift in breeding strategy.