Gilthead sea bream is one of the most important farmed Mediterranean fish, with welfare concerns around stocking density, handling stress, and pre-slaughter practices.
Sea bream maintained at high stocking densities show chronic stress indicated by elevated cortisol, reduced growth, and increased disease susceptibility. Grading operations that concentrate fish in shrinking net volumes cause acute physiological stress responses. CO2 narcosis before slaughter causes avoidance behaviour and distress before loss of consciousness. The scale of Mediterranean sea bream production means even modest per-animal welfare improvements would have enormous cumulative impact.