The final crowding and harvesting stage of salmon production is among the most acutely stressful events in the production cycle. Understanding and minimising this stress is a critical welfare priority.
Salmon harvest welfare is a concentrated sequence of stressors that occurs at the moment when the animal is most physiologically depleted from the production cycle. Crowding, oxygen competition, pressure injuries from pumping, and temperature manipulation all occur in rapid succession. The fish that enters the stun system is already severely stressed before any stunning attempt is made. Minimising the duration and intensity of this pre-stun period - through rapid harvest scheduling, oxygenated crowding systems, and short pump-to-stun intervals - reduces the total welfare cost of each harvest event. Commercial incentives for meat quality align with welfare incentives here, as stress-free slaughter improves product texture and shelf life.