Selective breeding of Atlantic salmon for improved disease resistance is reducing the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks, with direct benefits for individual fish welfare.
Selective breeding for disease resistance in salmon represents one of the most welfare-effective tools available in aquaculture. Unlike management interventions that require repeated application, genetic improvement is permanent and compounds across generations. Fish that are genetically less susceptible to IPN or HSMI suffer less disease, require fewer stressful treatments, and die less frequently. The welfare case for continued investment in disease-resistance genetics is strong. The same approach - selecting for welfare-relevant traits alongside production traits - could be applied to reduce the burden of other common salmon diseases and potentially to other farmed species.