Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Genetics and Welfare Trade-offs

Selective breeding in farmed salmon has improved growth rates and disease resistance but also created welfare trade-offs.

Key Facts

Farmed Atlantic salmon have been selectively bred for over 40 generations since the 1970s
Growth rate in farmed salmon is 4-10 times that of wild counterparts
Faster growth is associated with increased cataracts, cardiac defects and skeletal deformities
Selective breeding for sea lice resistance is progressing and shows promising welfare benefits
Gene edited salmon with improved disease resistance are in development but face regulatory hurdles

Welfare Considerations

Genetic selection that optimises production traits at the expense of physiological health creates inherent welfare compromises. Deformities, cataracts and cardiac problems cause chronic discomfort and reduced quality of life in affected fish. Responsible genetic improvement must balance production efficiency with health and welfare outcomes.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture welfare certification covering genetic health monitoring
Choose salmon from farms with documented deformity rate monitoring
Advocate for welfare impact assessment of new salmon breeding programmes
Follow Nofima and AquaGen research on genetics and welfare in Norwegian salmon