Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Deformity and Spinal Welfare

Skeletal deformities including spinal curvature and jaw abnormalities are welfare concerns in farmed salmon affecting movement and feeding.

Key Facts

Spinal deformities including scoliosis and lordosis affect 1-5% of commercial salmon
Nutritional deficiencies including vitamin C and phosphorus contribute to skeletal problems
High water temperatures during early development increase deformity rates
Deformed fish have impaired swimming and feeding ability
Deformity monitoring at harvest is used as a welfare indicator

Welfare Considerations

Skeletal deformities cause ongoing welfare problems through impaired swimming, feeding difficulty, and chronic pain from abnormal skeletal mechanics. Prevention through optimal nutritional provision and careful temperature management during early development is preferable to managing welfare in affected individuals. Monitoring deformity rates provides population-level welfare indicators.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture welfare standards that include skeletal deformity monitoring
Advocate for nutritional standards that prevent developmental deformities
Choose salmon from farms with low deformity rates and transparent welfare data