Net pen integrity is a fundamental welfare requirement for farmed fish. Failed nets cause mass escapes, predator entry, and fish injury.
Fish in net pens with damaged nets face direct injury from the netting itself, stress from net entanglement, and predator entry that causes terror and physical damage. Net integrity management is both a welfare requirement and an environmental obligation, since escaped farmed fish affect wild salmon populations. Regular inspection and prompt repair protect fish welfare and ecosystem integrity.