Exposed Aquaculture Operations: Strategies for Safety and Fish Welfare

This paper reviews recent research on fish welfare, personnel safety, and enabling technologies in the context of exposed aquaculture environments, with a focus on the Norwegian salmon farming industry. In particular, it highlights the challenges posed by strong currents, waves, and remote locations, and summarises advances in understanding salmon welfare indicators under such conditions. Progress in operational safety, emergency preparedness, and infrastructure design, including autonomous lifting systems and hole detection, are also discussed. The study emphasises the importance of integrated, multidisciplinary approaches to ensure both human and fish welfare in increasingly demanding aquaculture settings.