European sea bass is one of the most commercially significant farmed fish in the Mediterranean, with welfare science informing increasingly sophisticated production standards.
Sea bass welfare science has advanced significantly, with validated behavioral and physiological welfare indicators now available for on-farm use. Fish welfare scientists have demonstrated that sea bass show depression-like states under chronic poor welfare conditions, measurable through cognitive bias tests. High stocking densities cause chronic stress that suppresses immune function and growth. Handling during grading causes acute stress that affects fish for several days. Electrical stunning before slaughter ensures unconsciousness prior to gill cut, and is increasingly required by welfare certification schemes. The development of welfare-conscious sea bass production represents a model for other Mediterranean aquaculture species.