Fish welfare isn’t only about compliance, it’s about market access

Regulatory compliance often occurs in the background, a must do task that has been typically out of sight of the consumer. Consumers tend to place trust in the governing agencies that regulate the farms, assuming that all is taken care of and feeling confident in the safety of the food they receive in stores or restaurants. However, public scrutiny is starting to bring regulatory compliance front and center, moving it from a matter of operational necessity to one of market perception and access. 

Recently, in February, The Guardian published an article examining the two-year mortality rate for salmon farms. In Scotland, more than 35 million farmed salmon deaths were reported between 2023 and 2025, triggering widespread scrutiny of both farming practices and regulatory oversight. Notably, only a fraction of farms were inspected during that period, with none of the worst-performing sites receiving inspections. 

Reading a headline like “35 million farmed salmon deaths” creates significant shock value and is understandably quite startling. But the real driver of consumer confidence in the food chain is regulatory compliance, or in this case, what appears to be a lack of it.  This shifts what was once a background process into the spotlight of public perception. It erodes trust—not only between the industry and consumers, but also in the regulatory bodies designed to protect them. As a result, compliance moves from a regulatory issue to a matter of commercial risk.

Historically, fish welfare has been viewed through a compliance lens: meet regulatory thresholds, document outcomes, and proceed to market. That model is breaking down.

Today, poor welfare outcomes—like the situation in Scotland—are increasingly linked to loss of license to operate, market access challenges in premium or export markets, increased investor and insurer scrutiny, and reduced financial performance. In other words, welfare is no longer just about passing inspections—it is about building and maintaining consumer trust.

Waiting for inspections to catch errors is now seen as too late; issues are expected to be identified and addressed proactively. Farms that take regulatory compliance to the next level will reap the rewards of a stronger market position. Not only will a proactive response to current industry challenges reduce costs and improve animal welfare outcomes, it will also strengthen the global reputation of aquaculture, reinforcing trust in the industry. Those who go beyond compliance will see the rewards through improved market access.

The event in Scotland is not an isolated incident; it is a signal of where the industry is heading. Fish welfare is no longer simply a regulatory issue—it is a market access issue. Companies that adapt by investing in better science, better data, and better validation will be the ones that succeed in this new environment. Those that don’t may find that compliance alone is no longer enough to access high-value markets.