Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Deformity Welfare Monitoring

Spinal and jaw deformities in farmed salmon cause chronic pain and impair feeding. Systematic monitoring and genetic selection reduce prevalence.

Key Facts

Vertebral deformities affect approximately 2-5% of farmed salmon
Jaw deformities prevent normal feeding and growth
Nutritional deficiencies (vitamin C, phosphorus) during egg incubation increase risk
Genetic factors contribute to deformity susceptibility
Welfare protocols require humane culling of severely deformed fish

Welfare Considerations

Salmon with severe spinal or jaw deformities suffer chronic mechanical pain and feeding difficulties throughout their lives. Many deformed fish cannot compete for feed, leading to starvation and poor welfare alongside their anatomical suffering. Systematic monitoring that identifies and humanely culls severely affected fish, combined with management to prevent deformity causes, reduces this welfare burden.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture certification with deformity monitoring requirements
Advocate for nutritional standards that prevent deformity-associated deficiencies
Support research into genetic selection against deformity susceptibility
Choose certified salmon from producers with documented deformity management