Aquaculture

Salmon Aquaculture and Wild Fish Welfare

Salmon aquaculture's dependency on wild-caught fish meal and oil creates welfare implications for the billions of wild fish used as feed inputs.

Key Facts

Producing 1kg of farmed salmon requires approximately 1-2kg of wild fish as feed input
Small pelagic fish including anchovies, sardines, and herrings are the primary feed fish
These fish are caught and processed in ways that cause mass suffering if they are sentient
Plant-based and single-cell protein alternatives are reducing the fish-in fish-out ratio

Welfare Considerations

The welfare cost of wild fish used in aquaculture feed is rarely discussed but potentially enormous. If small pelagic fish are sentient - increasingly supported by evidence - then the fish required to produce salmon may cause more suffering than the salmon themselves.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture producers committed to reducing fish-based feed inputs
Engage with research on plant-based and microbial protein alternatives for aquaculture
Advocate for welfare standards in reduction fisheries targeting feed fish