Aquatic Animal Welfare

Farmed Salmon Welfare During Harvest and Slaughter

Salmon harvest and slaughter methods have significant welfare implications. The transition from ineffective traditional methods to percussive stunning and humane slaughter is improving welfare outcomes in aquaculture.

Key Facts

Traditional live chilling in ice slurry causes a prolonged period of consciousness before death
Percussive stunning followed by gill cutting provides immediate unconsciousness and rapid death
RSPCA Assured salmon requires percussive stunning as minimum slaughter standard
Some Norwegian farms use automated percussion systems for high-throughput humane slaughter
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council has added humane slaughter language to recent revisions

Welfare Considerations

Salmon slaughter method is one of the most welfare-significant decisions in aquaculture operations. Asphyxiation in ice slurry, historically the norm, means fish spend minutes conscious in a hypoxic environment. Percussive stunning immediately renders fish unconscious. The welfare difference is stark and the technology cost is modest relative to the scale of improvement. Consumer demand for welfare-certified salmon is accelerating industry adoption of humane slaughter.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified under RSPCA Assured or equivalent humane slaughter standards
Ask fish retailers about the slaughter method used by their salmon suppliers
Support aquaculture certification standards that require humane slaughter as a minimum criterion
Advocate for humane slaughter regulations for farmed fish in your jurisdiction