Research published in 2025-2026 has advanced understanding of how salmon genetics shapes welfare outcomes. Breeding for welfare-relevant traits is now a commercial and scientific priority.
The 2025-2026 research period has confirmed that salmon genetics is a tractable welfare lever. The identification of stress resilience QTLs means that future breeding can specifically target reduced chronic stress responses, complementing the existing work on skeletal health and disease resistance. The commercial availability of low-cortisol-response genetics represents a genuine welfare advance - fish that are less reactive to stressors will suffer less from the inevitable stressors of farm life. This science does not eliminate the fundamental welfare challenges of intensive salmon farming, but it represents meaningful progress toward a future where farmed salmon are both more productive and less stress-prone.