Salmon gut health affects immune function, feed efficiency, and welfare. Feed ingredient changes, probiotics, and disease management all interact with salmon intestinal welfare.
Salmon gut health welfare has emerged as an important consideration as feed formulations shift away from marine ingredients. Soybean and other plant proteins can cause enteritis - intestinal inflammation - in salmon that compromises both nutrient absorption and welfare. The salmon microbiome, like that of other species, plays critical roles in immune development and disease resistance. Dysbiosis following antibiotic treatment or dietary change impairs these functions. Probiotics and prebiotics show promise for supporting gut microbiome health. Gut health monitoring through histological examination of intestinal tissue provides welfare information not captured by external observation. Investing in gut health through appropriate feed formulation is both a welfare and a production efficiency priority.