Ethics of Salmon Farming

ETHICS of REGULATIONS

From the “Regulations” page there is one emerging trend evident in developing and developed countries like Chile and Norway respectively. There is deviation from a social consensus ethic towards a personal consensus ethic that is being created on the governmental level via relaxed regulations and encouragement of corporate takeover.

NORWAY

  • Decentralization of salmon industry by Norwegian government
  • Lead to corporate takeover
  • Corporate tax contributions and lobbies deters the government from making stricter welfare regulations
  • Public influence on government is less since government is not directly accountable over salmon farming industry as it was prior to the 1990 FSO bankrupcy
  • This impairs the animal rights movement
  • On the industrial level, corporations are more likely to conduct their salmon farming operations with a profit-maximization goal, disregarding societies ethical values
  • Corporations consider salmon welfare according to their personal consensus ethic

CHILE

  • Relaxed Chilean regulations on industries and poor method of assessing salmon welfare state on farms have encouraged corporate expansion of salmon farming
  • Private Corporations are treating salmon according to their own accord; There is very little animal welfare influence
  • Chilean public is concerned about improving their economy and standard of living over salmon welfare
  • Thus on the governmental level and social level, salmon welfare is not that important
  • This allows corporate farms to treat salmon according to their own “personal consensus ethic”