Feed quality and composition significantly affects European sea bass welfare through effects on growth, immune function, and behaviour.
Sea bass welfare is significantly affected by dietary quality. Diets with poor amino acid profiles or high levels of antinutritional factors cause gut inflammation and impaired immunity. Omega-3 deficiency reduces neural development quality and inflammatory regulation. Skeletal deformities from nutritional deficiencies cause chronic pain and abnormal swimming. Welfare-conscious sea bass feeding uses high-quality balanced diets that maintain gut health and support normal physiological function. The transition away from fishmeal toward plant proteins has required careful welfare monitoring to ensure equivalent nutritional outcomes.