Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Welfare at Harvest Advanced

Advanced evidence on salmon welfare at harvest including stunning methods, validation, and emerging technologies.

Key Facts

Electrical stunning achieves rapid insensibility when calibrated correctly for water temperature and fish size
Percussive stunning is reliable for salmon but requires correct technique and monitoring
CO2 narcosis is widely used but causes aversive behavioral responses before insensibility
High pressure water stunning is an emerging technology with welfare potential
Stun validation using eye roll reflex cessation is a practical welfare check

Welfare Considerations

Salmon harvest welfare depends entirely on the effectiveness of stunning before killing. The welfare significance of consciousness during killing is equivalent to that in mammals. Technology and protocols that ensure reliable, instantaneous stunning are achievable and should be mandatory.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory electrical stunning requirements for salmon harvest
Advocate for stun validation requirements in salmon certification
Choose salmon from farms with verified humane harvest protocols