Genetic research into salmon disease resistance offers the prospect of reducing treatment frequency and associated welfare harm in salmon aquaculture. Progress in this field represents a significant welfare opportunity.
Genetic disease resistance in salmon represents a long-term welfare solution that reduces both the welfare harm of disease itself and the treatment-related welfare harm of managing disease outbreaks. A salmon that does not contract pancreas disease or ISA does not suffer the tissue damage these diseases cause; one that carries fewer sea lice does not require the thermal or chemical treatments that cause their own welfare costs. The welfare trajectory of this approach - toward fish that are inherently more resilient to the challenges of aquaculture environments - is clearly positive. Investment in breeding programs and regulatory frameworks that enable gene-edited disease resistance accelerates this welfare benefit.