Wild Salmon Conservation and Welfare

Wild Pacific and Atlantic salmon populations face multiple stressors that cause mass mortality events and population collapse — with welfare implications for millions of individual fish.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon is now locally extinct in many rivers where it once spawned
Pacific salmon runs have declined by 50-90% in many river systems
Mass pre-spawn mortality events kill thousands of salmon before they can reproduce
Warming river temperatures, blocked migration corridors, and disease are primary stressors
Dam removal has successfully restored salmon runs in several North American river systems

Welfare Considerations

Wild salmon welfare is intertwined with conservation — population collapse causes suffering at scale through starvation, disease, and failed migrations. Pre-spawn mortality events, where salmon die before spawning due to temperature, exhaustion, or disease, represent welfare tragedies as well as ecological ones. Warming rivers increase pathogen loads and metabolic demands simultaneously. Restoring migration corridors through dam removal, improving riparian habitat, and reducing water temperatures through tree planting directly benefits both population health and individual fish welfare.

What You Can Do

Support dam removal and fish passage projects on salmon rivers
Reduce water use and runoff from your household to protect stream temperatures
Advocate for riparian buffer restoration in your watershed
Choose wild salmon from well-managed certified fisheries if you consume it
Support watershed restoration organizations in salmon-bearing river systems