Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Spinal Deformity Welfare

Spinal and jaw deformities in farmed salmon are common welfare problems linked to nutrition, genetics, and hatchery conditions.

Key Facts

Vertebral malformations affect up to 20% of farmed Atlantic salmon in some populations
Deformities cause chronic pain, impaired swimming, and feeding difficulties
Vitamin C deficiency, temperature stress, and genetic factors contribute to deformity
Deformed fish grow more slowly and have higher mortality rates
Selection against deformity traits is an active area of breeding programme research

Welfare Considerations

Spinal deformities cause chronic discomfort through impaired swimming and compression of surrounding tissues. Fish with severe deformities experience lifelong welfare compromise. Nutrition optimisation, temperature management in hatcheries, and genetic selection against deformity traits are all welfare priorities.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture certifications monitoring deformity rates as welfare indicators
Choose salmon products from certified farms investing in deformity reduction
Advocate for deformity prevalence as a mandatory welfare reporting metric