Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Lice Biological Control

Cleaner fish including lumpfish and wrasse provide biological sea lice control in salmon farming, with their own welfare needs requiring attention.

Key Facts

Lumpfish and wrasse eat sea lice off salmon, reducing chemical treatment burden
Cleaner fish welfare has been neglected compared to salmon welfare in certification
Lumpfish suffer high mortality from sea lice parasite pressure and handling
Wild-caught wrasse used as cleaner fish have welfare implications for wild populations
Some producers are developing welfare guidelines specific to cleaner fish species

Welfare Considerations

Using cleaner fish to control sea lice transfers welfare problems from salmon to smaller species with their own sentience. Cleaner fish welfare must be addressed alongside salmon welfare for genuinely comprehensive aquaculture welfare management.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture certification requiring welfare standards for cleaner fish species
Advocate for welfare guidelines specific to lumpfish and wrasse in salmon farming
Choose salmon certified under schemes that include cleaner fish welfare provisions