Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Climate Adaptation Genetics

Genetic approaches to developing salmon that can tolerate warmer sea temperatures and changing environmental conditions.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon are cold-water adapted with an upper thermal tolerance around 23C
Climate change is pushing sea temperatures above optimal salmon ranges in some farming areas
Selective breeding for thermal tolerance is being explored but involves welfare trade-off considerations
Genomic selection enables faster identification of stress-resilient individuals for breeding
Maintaining genetic diversity during selection is essential to avoid compromising overall fitness

Welfare Considerations

Genetic adaptation to climate change in salmon farming is a welfare issue as well as a production challenge. Salmon living in increasingly warm waters experience chronic thermal stress. Breeding programs that improve thermal tolerance reduce this welfare burden without requiring geographic relocation of farms.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture research into climate-adaptive salmon genetics
Advocate for welfare assessment requirements in aquaculture genetic improvement programs
Choose salmon from farms investing in environmental adaptation strategies