The crowding of salmon before harvest is one of the most acute welfare challenges in aquaculture, causing extreme stress that affects both welfare and product quality.
Salmon being crowded for harvest experience one of the most intense acute stressors of their captive lives. The panic response to sudden high density - fish swimming desperately, jumping, colliding with each other and cage walls - causes both psychological and physical harm. Cortisol levels following crowding stress affect flesh quality in ways that give producers economic incentives to improve pre-harvest welfare. The connection between animal welfare and product quality is particularly direct in this case - high stress before slaughter produces lower quality salmon that sells for lower prices. Welfare-aligned economic incentives have driven meaningful improvements in pre-harvest salmon management by leading Norwegian producers.