Impacts and implications of open-pen salmon farming

Click here to read a science-based summary of why open-pen salmon farming is such a destructive industry, rejected by people around the world.

Additional documentation

Below, is a list of fully referenced evidence for the many negative impacts and implications of open-pen salmon farming — and why governments and communities oppose it.

Impacts that may appear to be only environmental are often also socio-economic as the health of the environment affects other industries such as tourism and commercial fisheries, as well as community structures and a way of life.

The litigious nature of the salmon farming industry

Industry tactics include bullying and silencing

Inevitable escapes of carnivorous predators from open-pen salmon farms

Wildlife harmed by open-pen salmon farms

Effluent emissions from open-pen fish farming reduce biodiversity

Anoxic (“dead”) seabeds caused by open-pen salmon farms

Increased risk of harmful algal blooms is linked to open-pen salmon farming

Open-pen fish farms facilitate and exacerbate harmful jellyfish blooms

Mass mortality events are becoming more common at open-pen salmon farms

The problems around sea lice proliferation in open-pen salmon farms

Diseases are introduced and spread by open-pen salmon farming

Tonnes of medication are used on open-pen salmon farms

Heavy metals and “forever chemicals” emitted by open-pen salmon farms

The toxins in antifouling / The dangers of mechanical net cleaning

Salmon farming does NOT ensure global food security

Misconceptions around certification

Governments and communities around the world say no to open-pen salmon farming