Farmed Salmon Welfare Innovations

The aquaculture industry is developing new technologies and practices to improve welfare outcomes for farmed Atlantic salmon at scale.

Key Facts

Norway alone produces over 1.4 million tonnes of farmed Atlantic salmon per year.
Sea lice infestations remain the leading welfare challenge, causing skin damage and chronic stress.
Closed containment systems eliminate sea lice and escapes but carry high capital costs.
Cleaner fish such as wrasse and lumpfish are widely used for biological sea lice control.
Precision feeding systems using underwater cameras reduce overfeeding and improve water quality.

Welfare Considerations

Atlantic salmon are sentient fish with complex behavioural repertoires and capacity for stress and pain. Welfare concerns in aquaculture include high stocking densities, sea lice burdens, handling during treatments, and crowding during harvest. Innovations addressing these include selective breeding for lice resistance, non-medicinal treatment methods (laser, thermal, mechanical delousing), improved stunning before slaughter, and real-time welfare monitoring via underwater cameras. Welfare certification schemes are emerging but standards vary significantly.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified by schemes with strong welfare criteria, not just environmental metrics.
Support research into improved slaughter methods for farmed fish.
Advocate for mandatory stunning before slaughter in all salmon producing countries.
Reduce salmon consumption or choose land-based farmed alternatives where available.