Marine Animal Welfare

Wild Salmon Migration Barriers and Welfare

Dams and weirs block salmon migration routes, causing stress, injury, and population decline. Fish passes reduce but do not eliminate these welfare impacts.

Key Facts

An estimated 60% of historical Atlantic salmon habitat is blocked by dams and weirs in the UK
Salmon attempting to pass barriers experience repeated exhaustion and injury from failed attempts
Fish passes allow migration but are not used by all individuals and require regular maintenance
Removing obsolete barriers is the most welfare-positive solution where structures serve no purpose
River restoration programs including barrier removal are showing strong salmon population recovery

Welfare Considerations

Migration barrier welfare impacts accumulate across thousands of individual salmon struggling against structures that block their instinctive drive to reach spawning grounds. The exhaustion, injury, and reproductive failure from blocked migration is both an individual welfare harm and a population-level crisis. Barrier removal is one of the most effective and welfare-positive river conservation interventions.

What You Can Do

Support river restoration organizations working on dam and weir removal programs
Advocate for fish pass retrofitting requirements on all existing river barriers
Join local river monitoring groups to report salmon migration success and barriers
Donate to Atlantic Salmon Trust and similar organizations working on migration restoration