Wild Salmon Migration and Dam Welfare

Dams blocking migratory fish passage cause significant welfare harm to wild salmon through exhausting passage attempts, delayed migration, and cumulative injury during upstream journeys.

Key Facts

Atlantic and Pacific salmon undergo energetically demanding upstream migrations that are severely disrupted by dam structures.
Fish ladders enable passage for some percentage of fish but add significant delay and energy cost to migrations.
Delayed migration caused by dam passage significantly reduces spawning success and increases pre-spawn mortality.
Smolt passage downstream through dam turbines causes high mortality rates that vary by turbine design and flow management.
Dam removal programmes in the US and Europe have produced rapid recoveries in migratory fish populations.

Welfare Considerations

The welfare dimension of dam impacts on migratory fish has received less attention than population-level conservation concerns, but individual fish attempting dam passage experience genuine physical exhaustion, injury from barriers and turbines, and delayed access to critical spawning habitat. Dam removal is the most effective welfare and conservation intervention where it is feasible, while fish-friendly turbine design and passage facility improvement are important interim measures.

What You Can Do

Support dam removal and fish passage improvement initiatives in your watershed.
Donate to organizations such as American Rivers and Wild Fish Conservancy working on migratory fish welfare.
Advocate for fish-friendly turbine design requirements in dam relicensing processes.
Support river restoration efforts that restore natural flow regimes and connectivity for migratory fish.