Farmed salmon operations near wild salmon migration routes create disease and parasite pressure that threatens wild populations already stressed by habitat loss and climate change.
The welfare and conservation issues around salmon farming intersect in complex ways. Wild salmon face welfare-relevant suffering from lice infestations, disease, and habitat degradation that intensive aquaculture can exacerbate. Farmed salmon face welfare challenges from net pen densities, disease outbreak management, and stress during feeding and handling. Both populations would benefit from transition to closed containment systems that eliminate disease transfer between farmed and wild fish. Consumer choices matter here - supporting sustainably certified salmon products from closed containment or land-based systems creates market incentives for better practice. The welfare of both wild and farmed fish is legitimately valuable and the two are inextricably linked in coastal ecosystems.