Cleaner Fish Welfare in Salmon Aquaculture

Lumpfish and wrasse are used as cleaner fish in salmon farming to control sea lice, but their welfare in this role has received insufficient attention.

Key Facts

Approximately 50 million lumpfish and wrasse are deployed annually in Norwegian salmon farming alone
Cleaner fish suffer high mortality rates of 50-90% over a salmon production cycle
Lumpfish naturally live in cold, complex reef habitats - conditions very different from salmon cage environments
Cleaner fish rarely receive the same welfare consideration as the salmon they service despite being equally sentient
Research into cleaner fish welfare has accelerated since 2018 when Norwegian regulations began requiring welfare assessments

Welfare Considerations

Cleaner fish occupy an unusual welfare position: they are used as a biological tool to improve salmon welfare through sea lice control, yet their own welfare is often severely compromised in this role. The mortality rates of cleaner fish in salmon cages - often losing the majority of individuals within a production cycle - represent a substantial welfare harm that is hidden by the focus on salmon welfare and productivity. The welfare obligations to cleaner fish are equal to those owed to salmon, and their use requires welfare standards that are currently not met in most operations.

What You Can Do

Ask about cleaner fish welfare when purchasing certified salmon products
Support research into improved cleaner fish husbandry and welfare
Advocate for welfare standards for cleaner fish in aquaculture certification schemes
Support development of non-biological sea lice control alternatives
Learn about the welfare situation of cleaner fish in salmon farming