Aquaculture

Haddock Welfare in Northern European Aquaculture

Welfare science for farmed haddock and the challenges of intensive production.

Key Facts

Haddock aquaculture is expanding in Scotland and Norway
They are schooling fish that respond to conspecific stress cues
Sensitive to light and require seasonal photoperiod management
Malformation rates in haddock aquaculture are a welfare concern

Welfare Considerations

Haddock welfare in aquaculture is affected by crowding, light management, water quality, and handling. Skeletal malformations associated with intensive production are both a welfare and production problem. Welfare research is advancing rapidly with Scotland's aquaculture sector investing in species-specific standards.

What You Can Do

Support Scottish aquaculture sectors developing haddock-specific welfare standards
Choose farmed haddock with welfare certification where available
Advocate for welfare indicators tracking malformation rates and behaviour