Selective breeding programs in Atlantic salmon aquaculture have dramatically accelerated growth rates, raising welfare questions parallel to those seen in broiler chickens and commercial turkeys.
The welfare implications of salmon genetic selection parallel those observed in broiler chickens - gains in growth rate have been accompanied by health problems that affect individual fish welfare. Skeletal deformities, cataracts, and cardiac conditions represent welfare costs distributed across the lives of millions of fish. Including health, robustness, and welfare traits in breeding selection criteria - as progressive salmon genetics programs now do - represents a meaningful path toward welfare improvement alongside production.