Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Acoustic Stress and Marine Operations

Underwater noise from boat engines, helicopters, and maintenance equipment causes significant stress responses in farmed Atlantic salmon.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon show startle responses and elevated cortisol to impulsive noise events
Routine farm operations including feeding boats and maintenance create chronic noise exposure
Helicopter overflight causes acute mass alarm responses and net wall collisions
Noise exposure during sensitive periods including vaccination and handling compounds stress
Quieter equipment and operational protocols can reduce acoustic stress

Welfare Considerations

Farmed salmon experiencing chronic acoustic stress from farm operations suffer impaired welfare through repeated startle responses and cortisol elevation. This is a largely overlooked welfare issue. Noise mapping of farm operations and adoption of quieter equipment are practical welfare improvements available to the industry.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture welfare standards that include noise assessment
Advocate for quieter equipment requirements on salmon farms
Choose salmon from operators transparent about operational welfare management