Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Deformity Prevention and Welfare

Skeletal and developmental deformities in farmed Atlantic salmon are a major welfare concern linked to nutrition, genetics, and rearing conditions.

Key Facts

Deformity rates in commercial salmon can reach 5-10% without mitigation
Spinal deformities (scoliosis, lordosis) cause chronic pain and impaired swimming
Nutritional deficiencies in tryptophan and vitamin C increase deformity risk
Water temperature during early development is a key deformity trigger
Genetic selection for fast growth can inadvertently increase deformity prevalence

Welfare Considerations

Deformed fish experience chronic pain and reduced quality of life throughout their lives. Prevention through optimised nutrition, water quality, and genetics is far preferable to culling deformed individuals at slaughter.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified under welfare standards that monitor deformity rates
Support research into genetic markers for deformity resistance
Advocate for mandatory deformity reporting in aquaculture certification
Encourage slower-growing salmon breeding programmes