Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Fallowing and Welfare

Fallowing sea cage sites between production cycles improves environmental health and reduces disease pressure, benefiting fish welfare in subsequent cycles.

Key Facts

Fallowing rests the seabed from organic deposition allowing recovery between cycles
Disease reservoirs including sea lice copepodids persist less in fallowed areas
Norwegian regulations require minimum fallow periods in most production areas
Fallowing reduces chemical treatment burden in subsequent cycles
Coordinated fallowing between farms maximizes disease reduction in fjord systems

Welfare Considerations

Fallowing is a welfare-positive practice that reduces disease pressure for salmon in subsequent cycles. Farms operating without adequate fallowing accumulate disease pressure that results in more treatments, more illness, and worse welfare outcomes for fish.

What You Can Do

Support salmon certification requiring minimum fallowing standards
Choose salmon from farms operating coordinated area management plans
Advocate for mandatory fallowing periods in aquaculture regulations