High mortality rates in salmon aquaculture represent one of the most significant welfare challenges in the industry, indicating widespread suffering and systemic problems.
Mortality in salmon farming is not merely an economic metric - each death represents suffering, often prolonged. Fish experiencing amoebic gill disease struggle to breathe for days or weeks before dying. Sea lice cause painful lesions and chronic stress. The scale of mortality - tens of millions of fish annually in Norway alone - indicates industry-wide welfare failures that demand urgent attention beyond simple mortality reduction targets.