Marine Animals

Farmed Salmon Welfare in Norway

Norway is the world's largest salmon producer and is driving significant welfare improvements through regulation, research, and industry commitment.

Key Facts

Norway produces over 1 million tonnes of farmed salmon annually
Norwegian regulations require anaesthesia for delousing treatments from 2021
Sea lice regulations set maximum tolerated infestation levels with action thresholds
The Norwegian Salmon Welfare Score uses indicators including mortality and lice counts
Norwegian research institutes lead global salmon welfare science

Welfare Considerations

Norway's dominant position in global salmon farming makes its welfare standards and innovations particularly influential on the industry worldwide. Progressive Norwegian regulations and industry investment in welfare research have driven improvements in anaesthetic protocols, lice management, and monitoring systems. These advances establish the benchmark for what is achievable in commercial-scale salmon welfare improvement.

What You Can Do

Choose Norwegian-farmed salmon from certified welfare-committed producers
Support organisations monitoring Norwegian salmon welfare standards
Advocate for other salmon-producing countries to adopt Norwegian welfare standards
Donate to salmon welfare research organisations in Norway
Engage with certification schemes using welfare science from Norwegian research