Cobia are fast-growing predatory fish farmed in open-ocean cages in tropical regions, with welfare considerations centred on their social aggression and environmental requirements.
Cobia welfare in cage culture is challenged by the mismatch between their natural semi-solitary lifestyle and the confined group culture environment. Feeding aggression produces a predictable injury burden — photographs of harvest-weight cobia commonly show tail, fin and eye damage consistent with conspecific attacks. Demand feeding systems that reduce competition at feeding time significantly reduce aggression-related injuries. Environmental conditions are also critical — offshore cages with high current flow and high dissolved oxygen consistently produce better welfare outcomes than nearshore, low-flow sites.