Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Gut Health and Microbiome

Salmon gut health is fundamental to welfare - the microbiome influences immune function, digestion, and disease resistance throughout the farming cycle.

Key Facts

Antibiotic treatments disrupt the salmon gut microbiome with lasting consequences
Probiotic supplementation can restore microbiome diversity after antibiotic use
Feed formulation significantly influences gut microbiome composition
Leaky gut syndrome increases systemic inflammatory responses and welfare costs
Intestinal health scoring is an emerging welfare assessment tool in Norwegian aquaculture

Welfare Considerations

Gut health is a welfare issue as well as a production concern. Poor gut microbiome health causes chronic immune activation and discomfort. Nutritional and management approaches that support gut health benefit salmon welfare directly.

What You Can Do

Support certification schemes that include gut health assessment in salmon welfare audits
Advocate for antibiotic stewardship as a welfare priority in salmon farming
Choose salmon from farms with published antibiotic use and gut health data