Pre-slaughter handling of farmed salmon causes significant stress, with crowding, pumping, and transport to kill station all creating welfare concerns addressable through protocol improvements.
Pre-slaughter welfare for farmed salmon is compromised by commercial pressure to maximize harvest efficiency over animal welfare. Crowding that begins the harvest process causes suffering that continues for minutes to hours before the fish reaches a kill station. Rested harvesting protocols that reduce crowding duration, use oxygenated transport, and minimize handling before effective stunning have been shown to improve fish welfare measurably. The entire pre-slaughter chain should be designed to minimize time from normal density to effective stunning.