Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Pre-Slaughter Stress

Pre-slaughter handling of farmed Atlantic salmon causes significant welfare concerns, with crowding, air exposure, and transport all contributing to suffering before slaughter.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon must be crowded and collected before slaughter, causing severe stress
Cortisol levels in salmon spike dramatically during crowding and handling
CO2 stunning before killing is controversial as CO2 causes an aversive acidic response in gills
RSPCA standards require effective stunning before killing for farmed salmon
Percussive stunning and electrical stunning are considered more welfare-positive alternatives

Welfare Considerations

Pre-slaughter management of farmed salmon involves a cascade of welfare insults: crowding causes acute stress and injury from compression, transport to slaughter facilities extends the stress period, and traditional CO2 narcosis causes a distressing acidic sensation before unconsciousness. Effective percussive or electrical stunning before killing represents a significant welfare improvement that is increasingly adopted by higher-welfare producers.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified by standards requiring effective pre-slaughter stunning
Ask retailers about their salmon suppliers' slaughter protocols
Support research into most welfare-positive salmon slaughter methods
Advocate for regulatory requirements on effective stunning for farmed fish
Engage with aquaculture certification bodies about slaughter standards