Pre-slaughter handling and crowding of farmed salmon causes significant stress. Welfare-positive slaughter protocols minimise suffering for one of the world's most numerous farmed vertebrates.
Salmon are complex vertebrates with substantial evidence for pain processing and stress responses. Pre-slaughter crowding — sometimes lasting 12-24 hours — causes sustained physiological stress, scale loss from friction, and oxygen depletion. The scale of farmed salmon production means that small per-fish welfare improvements translate to enormous aggregate welfare gains. Welfare-positive slaughter — electrical stunning rendering fish unconscious immediately before bleeding — eliminates the prolonged conscious dying that occurs with ice slurry methods. Consumer and retailer pressure for higher-welfare salmon certification has driven significant industry improvement in some markets, demonstrating the effectiveness of supply chain engagement.