Farmed Salmon Mortality Rate Welfare

Understanding and reducing the high mortality rates that indicate welfare problems in salmon farming.

Key Facts

Average Atlantic salmon mortality in sea cage production is 10-20% annually in Norwegian farms
Mortality rates are a proxy welfare indicator integrating all welfare challenges fish experience
Sea lice, amoebic gill disease, and bacterial infections are the primary mortality drivers
Improved sea lice management has reduced mortality rates in Norwegian operations since 2018
Slaughter mortality from poor stunning technique adds to total mortality calculations
Reporting mortality rates transparently is now required in Norway and some other jurisdictions

Welfare Considerations

Salmon mortality rates serve as a critical aggregate welfare indicator, capturing the combined effect of stocking density, disease pressure, water quality, handling, and treatment welfare impacts. An industry accepting 15% annual mortality would be considered crisis-level in any terrestrial livestock sector, yet these rates have been normalized in salmon farming through the sheer scale of production and relatively low public scrutiny. Progress in reducing mortality through improved sea lice management and disease prevention demonstrates that welfare improvement is achievable, but requires sustained industry commitment and regulatory pressure beyond mere transparency requirements.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon from producers with documented below-average mortality rates
Support mandatory mortality reporting requirements in salmon farming regulations
Advocate for mortality rate benchmarks as conditions of farm licensing
Learn to interpret mortality statistics as welfare proxies when evaluating salmon producers
Support research into mortality cause attribution to guide targeted welfare interventions
Ask retailers about mortality standards in their salmon supply chains