Selective breeding in Atlantic salmon aquaculture has primarily targeted growth and disease resistance, but emerging research explores genetic selection for behavioral and welfare traits.
Salmon genetics and welfare represents a frontier area where selective breeding could be used to improve welfare rather than only productivity. The heritability of stress-related traits, aggression levels, and disease resistance means that breeding programs could, in principle, select for fish with lower chronic stress profiles and better disease resilience - both direct welfare improvements. The welfare science basis for such selection is developing, and the long generation times in salmon breeding programs mean any welfare-focused selection would take decades to have population-level impact. This makes early investment in welfare genetics research particularly valuable.