Wild Atlantic salmon face multiple welfare challenges including commercial fishing practices, habitat degradation, and the experience of capture and killing.
Wild Atlantic salmon welfare is intertwined with conservation status - animals that cannot complete their lifecycle due to habitat degradation experience profound welfare harm as their fundamental biological drives cannot be expressed. The anadromous migration from ocean to river, breeding, and offspring production are primary biological imperatives. Blocking these behaviors through barriers, poor water quality, and fishing pressure causes stress responses measurable through cortisol and mortality rates. The welfare of salmon captured in recreational catch-and-release fishing is also a genuine concern - warm water temperatures reduce post-release survival, and improper handling causes gill damage and exhaustion that can be fatal.