Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Acoustic Stress Welfare

Noise and acoustic stress from boat engines, feeding systems, and environmental sound affects salmon welfare in sea cage aquaculture.

Key Facts

Salmon have otoliths (hearing organs) sensitive to low-frequency sound
Motorboat traffic over sea cages increases cortisol and reduces feeding in salmon
Feeding system sounds can both cause stress and serve as trained feeding cues
Noise from storm conditions causes avoidance behaviour in sea cages
Acoustic deterrent devices to prevent seal predation cause auditory stress in salmon

Welfare Considerations

Acoustic welfare is an emerging area in salmon aquaculture. Minimising unnecessary noise disturbance around sea cages and managing acoustic deterrent device use to balance seal welfare against salmon acoustic stress represents current best practice.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture welfare standards that include acoustic environment management
Advocate for alternatives to acoustic deterrents that cause least acoustic stress
Choose salmon from farms demonstrating noise management awareness
Encourage research into salmon acoustic welfare thresholds