Pre-slaughter welfare standards for farmed salmon are evolving rapidly, with some countries and certification schemes now requiring electrical pre-slaughter stunning as standard practice.
Pre-slaughter welfare standards represent the most visible point in the salmon production cycle and have received significant regulatory and consumer attention. Mandatory electrical stunning requirements in Norway have driven adoption without significant production disruption, demonstrating that high welfare slaughter is commercially viable at scale. Extending similar requirements to all major salmon-producing countries would benefit millions of fish.