Wild Atlantic salmon face welfare challenges from river barriers that prevent migration, poor water quality, predation, and the physiological stress of migration itself in degraded river systems.
Wild salmon welfare is compromised at multiple stages of their life cycle. Juveniles (parr) in rivers degraded by agricultural runoff experience poor water quality that causes gill damage and reduces growth. Downstream migrants (smolts) are injured or killed passing through turbine intakes at river power stations. Returning adults face barriers that are biologically programmed to overcome but physically cannot pass, exhausting themselves in futile attempts. In heavily exploited estuaries, netting and rod fishing cause injury and stress. Salmon that successfully reach spawning grounds face warming water temperatures that reduce spawning success. River restoration, fish pass installation, and sustainable fishing practices directly address these welfare harms.