Mediterranean sea bass cage culture welfare is being addressed through certification and regulation. Understanding current standards and gaps guides improvement priorities.
Mediterranean sea bass cage welfare is improving through certification scheme adoption, but significant variation persists across producers. Heat stress during summer warming events causes chronic welfare compromise that cage positioning in deeper water can partially mitigate. Sea lice treatment procedures using hydrogen peroxide bath treatments cause acute stress and require careful management. Consumer demand for certified products with welfare criteria is the primary driver of improvement, providing market incentive to adopt practices that exceed minimum regulatory requirements.