Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Climate Adaptation Welfare

Climate change is creating new welfare challenges for farmed salmon - adaptation through site selection, genetics, and technology protects fish welfare.

Key Facts

Sea surface temperatures in key salmon farming regions are rising by 0.3 C per decade
Warm water events increase lice proliferation rates and thermal stress simultaneously
Deepwater cage systems access cooler water during surface warming events
Climate-adapted salmon genetics selecting for thermal tolerance is an emerging priority
Moving farming further offshore reduces warming exposure in some regions

Welfare Considerations

Climate change is making salmon welfare harder to maintain in existing farm locations. Proactive adaptation - through site selection, genetics, and technology - protects fish welfare from worsening thermal stress and disease pressure.

What You Can Do

Support research into climate-adapted salmon genetics and farming systems
Advocate for climate risk assessment as part of aquaculture welfare licensing
Choose salmon from farms with published climate adaptation strategies