Aquaculture

Farmed Salmon Gut Health and Nutrition Welfare

The relationship between nutrition, gut health, and welfare in farmed Atlantic salmon.

Key Facts

Plant-based protein ingredients can cause gut inflammation and welfare problems
Intestinal health scoring allows welfare monitoring of gut condition
Optimal amino acid nutrition supports immune function and stress resistance
Transition to plant-based feeds has introduced new nutritional welfare challenges
Probiotic and prebiotic additives support gut microbiome health in salmon

Welfare Considerations

Gut health problems cause significant welfare impacts in farmed salmon, and nutritional management is a key lever for improving welfare across the production cycle.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon from farms with published nutrition welfare commitments
Support research into welfare-friendly plant-based salmon nutrition
Advocate for gut health indicators in salmon welfare assessment frameworks