Aquatic Animal Welfare

Farmed Salmon Deformities and Welfare

Skeletal deformities are a significant welfare and production challenge in farmed Atlantic salmon, with nutritional, genetic and environmental causes.

Key Facts

Spinal curvature and jaw deformities affect welfare through feeding difficulty and chronic pain
Cataracts from photoperiod manipulation for growth acceleration cause visual impairment
Early feeding nutrition critically affects skeletal development and deformity risk
Deformity rates above 10% trigger welfare concern and production losses
Genetic selection for deformity resistance is incorporated into breeding programmes

Welfare Considerations

Deformities in farmed salmon cause chronic pain, feeding difficulties and impaired mobility that represent significant welfare harm. Prevention through nutritional management, photoperiod protocols and genetic selection is more effective than detecting deformities post-occurrence. High deformity rates are a welfare audit trigger.

What You Can Do

Support certified salmon from operations with documented deformity monitoring
Advocate for deformity rate reporting requirements in aquaculture welfare standards
Choose farmed salmon from producers investing in welfare-positive rearing protocols