Welfare during the final hours before slaughter significantly affects both salmon welfare and product quality, making humane pre-slaughter management a shared welfare and industry interest.
The period before salmon slaughter involves some of the most acute welfare harms in aquaculture. Crowding concentrations many times higher than normal rearing density creates a panic response. Fish in these conditions attempt to escape, causing physical injuries, scale loss, and physiological crisis. Industry has economic incentives to improve pre-slaughter welfare because stress hormones directly degrade flesh quality - this alignment of welfare and economics provides an opportunity to drive real improvements. Consumer pressure for welfare-certified salmon has accelerated adoption of better practices by leading Norwegian producers.