Selective breeding of Atlantic salmon for rapid growth has created fish with higher welfare vulnerability, with emerging interest in breeding programmes that include welfare traits.
The genetic foundation of farmed salmon welfare is often overlooked in discussions that focus on management and environment. When fish are bred for maximum growth at the expense of physical robustness, welfare problems manifest as disease susceptibility, organ dysfunction, and structural deformity. Incorporating welfare trait selection into breeding programmes - disease resistance, skeletal robustness, stress response - represents a fundamental improvement that cascades through the entire production system.