Aquaculture Welfare

Salmon Pre-Slaughter Handling and Stress

The final stages before slaughter are critical for fish welfare, with crowding and handling causing severe acute stress responses.

Key Facts

Pre-slaughter crowding causes physiological stress including cortisol spikes
Starving fish 24-72 hours before slaughter is standard but causes suffering
Water quality deteriorates rapidly during crowding operations
Electrical stunning before slaughter can reduce consciousness before killing
The 2021 Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation guidance introduced welfare requirements

Welfare Considerations

The pre-slaughter period represents one of the highest-intensity welfare challenges in salmon farming. Minimising the duration and intensity of crowding, and using effective stunning, substantially reduces suffering at this critical stage.

What You Can Do

Support certification standards requiring pre-slaughter stunning for salmon
Ask retailers about the slaughter welfare standards of their salmon suppliers
Advocate for regulatory requirements for effective stunning before fish slaughter