Common dentex is under development as a Mediterranean aquaculture species, with early welfare assessments identifying aggression, diet transition, and anaesthesia sensitivity as key challenges.
Common dentex represents a species where welfare assessment during trial aquaculture development is critical before commercial scaling. Aggressive interactions in early life cause bite wounds, fin damage, and cannibalistic mortality. Juveniles show extreme stress responses to handling that can cause sudden death from cardiac arrest. Developing welfare-positive rearing protocols before commercial production expands could prevent future widespread welfare failures seen in other species as they scaled from trial to industry.