Sea bass hatchery production involves intensive early rearing with high mortality risks. Improving larval and juvenile welfare through environmental management reduces suffering and mortality.
Sea bass hatchery welfare begins at fertilisation with appropriate broodstock conditioning and water quality management during incubation. Larval welfare during the transition from live prey to artificial diets is the highest-risk period. Providing appropriate prey density, water quality, and light regime reduces starvation and developmental stress. Immersion vaccination causes less individual stress than injection vaccination and is preferred for juveniles. Investment in hatchery welfare reduces the enormous mortality that characterises intensive early production stages.