Flathead mullet are farmed in traditional Mediterranean valley systems and modern intensive aquaculture, with welfare considerations around extensive lagoon management and harvesting practices.
Flathead mullet welfare in traditional extensive lagoon systems differs markedly from intensive culture. In traditional valleys, fish live at low densities with natural feeding on phytoplankton and detritus, experiencing conditions close to their natural environment. Intensive culture at high densities creates crowding stress and aggression. Harvest from both systems involves concentration of fish in increasingly small volumes of water as water is drained, causing oxygen depletion and crowding stress. Bottarga production requires extraction of ripe roe from mature female fish, which is typically performed on live fish without anesthesia, causing pain and usually death.