Aquaculture Fallowing Welfare: Seabed Recovery and Wild Species

Fallowing of marine fish farm sites between production cycles allows seabed recovery. This benefits wild species welfare while improving conditions for subsequent production cycles.

Key Facts

Seabed beneath salmon farms accumulates organic waste affecting benthic species
Fallowing periods of 3-6 months allow significant recovery of benthic communities
Norwegian regulations require mandatory fallowing between production cycles
Fallowing also reduces sea lice and bacterial pathogen levels between crops
Wild flatfish and invertebrates return to recovering sites during fallow periods
Coordinated area management improves fallowing effectiveness in cage cluster sites

Welfare Considerations

Fallowing represents a welfare intervention that benefits both farmed fish in subsequent production cycles and wild species that colonise recovering seabeds. Organic enrichment from uneaten feed and faeces creates anaerobic conditions that exclude many invertebrates and cause stress in benthic fish. Adequate fallowing periods restore aerobic conditions that support diverse communities. Mandatory fallowing requirements should be based on recovery monitoring rather than fixed timescales.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture regulations requiring effective fallowing between production cycles
Choose farmed salmon from operations with documented fallowing programmes
Advocate for area management approaches that coordinate fallowing across neighbouring sites
Encourage research into optimal fallowing durations for different site conditions