Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Salmon RAS Land-Based Systems Advanced

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) on land offer significant welfare advantages over sea cages including controlled environments, exclusion of sea lice, and elimination of storm risk.

Key Facts

RAS systems recycle 95-99% of water through biological filtration
Sea lice are absent from land-based RAS systems, eliminating a major welfare challenge
Water temperature, oxygen, and chemistry can be precisely controlled in RAS
High capital costs mean RAS salmon currently commands premium market prices
Multiple RAS facilities are now operational at commercial scale in Norway and North America

Welfare Considerations

Land-based RAS systems offer a potential welfare step-change for salmon farming by eliminating sea lice, storm damage, and environmental welfare variability. The controlled environment allows precise management of water quality parameters known to affect salmon welfare. While capital intensive, RAS represents a direction of travel that could significantly improve salmon welfare at scale.

What You Can Do

Choose land-based RAS salmon where it is available and labelled
Support investment in RAS technology development to reduce costs
Advocate for welfare-based incentives that favour land-based production systems