Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon Welfare Open Data 2026

Open welfare data initiatives in salmon farming are creating accountability and enabling comparison between operations. Transparency in sea lice counts, mortality rates, and welfare treatment records is increasing.

Key Facts

Norwegian regulations require public reporting of sea lice counts for all salmon farms
Scottish monitoring data is published by SEPA but at coarser resolution than Norway
ASC-certified farms must disclose welfare performance data to certification bodies
Consumer-facing welfare scores are being piloted by some retailers
Academic researchers are using open welfare data to identify best practice farms

Welfare Considerations

Open welfare data shifts salmon farming from a largely opaque industry to one where welfare performance is comparable across operations. Farms with high welfare standards benefit from differentiation, while poor performers face accountability. The expansion of open welfare data requirements is one of the most impactful systemic changes available for salmon welfare improvement.

What You Can Do

Support regulatory requirements for public salmon farm welfare data reporting
Advocate for consumer-accessible welfare scoring for farmed salmon products
Use available certification data to inform your salmon purchasing choices