Aquaculture Welfare

Salmon Welfare at Harvest

Harvest is a critical welfare moment for farmed salmon. Pre-slaughter stress, stunning method, and slaughter speed all affect welfare outcomes significantly.

Key Facts

Pre-slaughter crowding causes severe stress, including cortisol spikes
Percussion stunning followed by immediate gill cutting is considered best practice
CO2 stunning is aversive and is being phased out in leading operations
Welfare-conscious harvest protocols also improve fillet quality
Certification schemes increasingly include harvest welfare standards

Welfare Considerations

Harvest welfare is one of the most tractable areas for improvement in salmon farming - simple changes to protocol and equipment can dramatically reduce suffering at this critical welfare point.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon certified to standards including harvest welfare criteria
Support retailers demanding improved harvest welfare from suppliers
Advocate for mandatory best-practice stunning at harvest
Learn about salmon sentience and welfare science