Farmed Animals

Farmed Salmon Lice and Cleaner Fish Welfare

Wrasse and lumpfish deployed as biological sea lice control in salmon farms have high mortality rates and welfare needs that are largely unaddressed in aquaculture regulations.

Key Facts

Wrasse and lumpfish are used in millions in Norwegian and Scottish salmon farms
Mortality rates for cleaner fish in salmon farms can exceed 50-70% annually
Wrasse are wild-caught from reef habitats causing ecological concerns
Lumpfish are bred in hatcheries but both species have poorly understood welfare needs
Cleaner fish welfare is increasingly recognized as a neglected issue in salmon aquaculture

Welfare Considerations

The use of cleaner fish to control sea lice in salmon farms has expanded rapidly without parallel development of welfare standards for the cleaner fish themselves. These are sentient fish - with their own capacity for suffering - being deployed in conditions that kill the majority of them within months. Addressing salmon lice welfare while ignoring cleaner fish welfare represents an incomplete approach to aquaculture ethics.

What You Can Do

Ask salmon producers and certifiers about their cleaner fish welfare standards and mortality rates
Support research into humane alternatives to cleaner fish including mechanical lice removal
Advocate for cleaner fish to be included in aquaculture welfare certification standards
Choose salmon from operations with documented commitments to improving cleaner fish welfare