Behavioral welfare indicators provide practical tools for assessing salmon welfare in aquaculture environments without requiring invasive procedures.
Behavioral welfare indicators for salmon are increasingly recognized as practical tools because behavior reflects the integrated welfare state of the animal in its environment. Abnormal behaviors such as surface gulping, loss of schooling coordination, and avoidance of parts of the tank environment signal welfare problems that can be identified and corrected before leading to mortality or severe disease. Fin biting as a group behavior spreads rapidly and causes pain, secondary infection, and elevated stress hormones in affected fish. Welfare assessment through behavioral observation requires trained farm staff who understand the significance of behavioral changes and respond with management interventions rather than treating behavior as normal production variation.