Farm Animals

Farmed Salmon Broodstock Pain Management

Broodstock salmon used for egg stripping undergo painful procedures; improved analgesia and handling protocols are increasingly available.

Key Facts

Egg stripping involves manual pressure to express eggs from female fish
Fish show stress and avoidance responses to stripping procedures
Anaesthesia reduces handling stress but has recovery welfare implications
MS-222 and AQUI-S are commonly used fish anaesthetics
Welfare-conscious broodstock protocols are emerging in Norway and Scotland

Welfare Considerations

The welfare of broodstock salmon has been neglected relative to grow-out fish despite their undergoing repeated invasive procedures over multi-year lives. Pain management during stripping and improved recovery protocols represent meaningful advances in a sector that provides all the juveniles for farmed salmon production, making broodstock welfare improvements foundational to industry-wide progress.

What You Can Do

Support certification schemes that include broodstock welfare requirements
Ask salmon producers about their broodstock pain management protocols
Advocate for mandatory anaesthesia and analgesia during fish stripping procedures
Support research into broodstock welfare indicators and protocols
Choose salmon from producers with transparent broodstock welfare reporting