Farmed Salmon Pre-Slaughter Welfare

Pre-slaughter handling and stunning of farmed Atlantic salmon has significant welfare implications that vary dramatically between facilities and countries.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon slaughter involves crowding, pump transfer, and stunning before killing — each stage carries welfare risks
Effective stunning methods include electrical stunning and percussive stunning — both render fish unconscious immediately when correctly applied
CO2 stunning causes aversion in fish and is considered inferior to electrical or percussion methods on welfare grounds
The time-to-unconsciousness and duration of unconsciousness vary significantly between systems and operator skill levels
Post-stun spinal severance or gill cutting while fish are unconscious is recommended to prevent recovery before death

Welfare Considerations

Slaughter welfare for farmed salmon has improved significantly in Norway and other leading producing nations, but significant variation persists globally. Fish that are insufficiently stunned recover consciousness during bleed-out and experience the slaughter process. Certification schemes that include verified slaughter welfare requirements drive meaningful improvement, but only where enforcement is credible.

What You Can Do

Choose certified farmed salmon from producers with documented slaughter welfare standards
Support regulatory campaigns for mandatory pre-slaughter stunning requirements in all salmon-producing countries
Ask retailers about the slaughter methods used in their salmon supply chains
Support research into improved salmon welfare monitoring systems applicable across different production contexts