Pacific salmon including Chinook and Coho are farmed in North America and New Zealand. Their welfare needs overlap with Atlantic salmon but have species-specific differences.
Pacific salmon welfare in aquaculture shares many characteristics with Atlantic salmon production but has species-specific elements. Strong migratory instincts may cause greater frustration in confined sea cages compared to less migratory Atlantic salmon. Disease challenges including infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus cause significant welfare problems in Pacific salmon farms. Sea lice management requires similar welfare trade-offs between infestation suffering and treatment stress. The smaller scale of Pacific salmon aquaculture compared to Atlantic production means welfare research is less developed and regulatory frameworks are less mature. Welfare improvement requires the same priorities as Atlantic salmon: disease prevention, appropriate density management, and humane pre-slaughter handling.