Taking farmed salmon welfare
Enrichments required
More space for salmon
Antibiotic use restricted
Stunning prior to slaughter
‘Cleaner fish’ welfare
Non-lethal predator control
No GMO or cloning
Daily water monitoring
Taking farmed salmon welfare
certification to greater depths.
Enrichments required
More space for salmon
Antibiotic use restricted
Stunning prior to slaughter
‘Cleaner fish’ welfare
Non-lethal predator control
No GMO or cloning
Daily water monitoring
Introducing G.A.P.’s Salmon Welfare Standards
Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) impacts the lives of millions of farm animals every year through our tiered animal welfare standards. Now, with the help of industry professionals and scientists, we are applying that same approach to aquaculture with the launch of our farmed salmon welfare standards.
G.A.P.’s Farmed Atlantic Salmon Standards cover the entire lifecycle of the animal from egg to harvest. Our three certification steps allow flexibility for operations of all types and stages to achieve G.A.P. Certification. The fact that our program is not a broad, one-label certification model is what makes us so unique. The differentiated steps, or levels, help communicate to consumers the level of fish welfare achieved. G.A.P.’s goal is to create a meaningful certification that rewards farmers for their fish welfare practices, communicates to consumers the way their food was raised, and positively impacts the lives of farmed salmon.
On the Surface
Why farmed salmon welfare standards?
Millions of Atlantic Salmon are farmed every year and while fish welfare might not immediately spring to mind as important – it really is. There is now a large body of science that shows finfish like Atlantic salmon are sentient and able to experience feelings and sensations like pain, stress and fear. Just like G.A.P.’s other standards, our farmed salmon certification focuses on providing the best animal welfare standards: from management, care and health, to added enrichments in their environment – G.A.P. Certified Farmed Salmon is the most meaningful animal welfare certification available.
A Deeper Dive
What’s different about G.A.P.’s Step levels?
- Enrichments required at all life stages
- Minimum stocking density requirements
- ‘Cleaner fish’ enrichments + shelter required
- Daily water quality monitoring required
- Only non-lethal predator control allowed
- Fin, skin, and body conditioning monitoring required
- No physical alterations allowed
- Slaughter facility certification required
All of Step 1 requirements PLUS:
- At least 2 different types of enrichments required at all life stages
- ‘Cleaner fish’ only re-stocked once during the production cycle
- Use of auditory devices (ADDs + AHDs) is prohibited for predator control
- Limits on transport time
All of Step 3 requirements PLUS:
- Multiple enrichments at all life stage
- Fin, skin, and body condition monitored with underwater cameras
- Use of ‘cleaner fish’ prohibited
- Fish must be harvested cage-side
