Egypt is one of the world's largest tilapia producers, with intensive cage and pond systems raising welfare concerns around disease management, crowding, and slaughter practices for millions of fish annually.
Extreme stocking densities in Egyptian cage systems cause chronic hypoxic stress, immune suppression, and elevated pathogen susceptibility. Streptococcal encephalitis causes neurological signs including spinning and jumping before death, indicating significant suffering. Fish sold live in markets are transported without water or in minimal water, causing progressive suffocation. Air suffocation at market can take 10-30 minutes. Improving water quality management, reducing stocking densities, and introducing rapid killing methods would substantially reduce welfare harms in this large sector.