Seal management conflicts arise around salmon rivers, fish farms, and fishing communities. Welfare-conscious approaches to seal-fishery conflicts are available and increasingly adopted.
Seal management welfare involves both the individual animals shot during conflict incidents and the long-term population impacts of culling on social species. Wounded seals that survive shooting experience prolonged injury and impaired foraging. Well-regulated shooting with experienced markspeople causes rapid death - but compliance varies. Non-lethal deterrents including acoustic harassment devices and better net designs achieve effective conflict reduction without welfare cost. The welfare and conservation case for transitioning from lethal to non-lethal seal management is strong. Consumer pressure on salmon farms to adopt non-lethal standards drives industry-wide change.