Farm Animals

Farmed Atlantic Salmon Broodstock Welfare

Broodstock salmon - fish used for breeding - experience intense physiological stress during the spawning period and unique welfare challenges compared to production fish.

Key Facts

Broodstock Atlantic salmon are stripped of eggs and milt by hand in a process called hand-stripping
Salmon undergo dramatic physiological changes during sexual maturation, including skin and jaw changes in males
Broodstock are held at high densities during the spawning season, increasing aggression and stress
Post-spawning mortality is high in both wild and farmed Atlantic salmon
Pain relief is rarely provided during stripping procedures despite evidence of pain sensitivity in fish

Welfare Considerations

Broodstock welfare is often overlooked compared to production fish welfare, yet these animals experience some of the most intense welfare challenges in salmon aquaculture. Sexual maturation causes profound physiological stress, handling during stripping is acutely painful without anaesthesia, and the repeated handling over multiple spawning events causes cumulative welfare costs. This area deserves much greater welfare science attention.

What You Can Do

Support research into anaesthesia protocols for broodstock handling procedures
Advocate for welfare standards that explicitly address broodstock management
Encourage salmon breeding companies to adopt and publish broodstock welfare protocols
Support development of alternative broodstock management techniques that reduce handling stress
Choose salmon products from companies with transparency about their broodstock welfare standards