Aquatic Animal Welfare

Global Aquaculture Expansion: Welfare at Scale

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector globally, with profound welfare implications as fish farming scales to meet increasing demand.

Key Facts

Aquaculture production has grown from 7 million tonnes in 1980 to over 80 million tonnes today
Asia accounts for approximately 90% of global aquaculture production
Species diversity in aquaculture is expanding beyond salmon and trout to include new welfare challenges
Offshore aquaculture expansion is raising new welfare questions around monitoring and management
The welfare of aquaculture workers is closely linked to the welfare standards of fish they farm

Welfare Considerations

The rapid expansion of aquaculture creates both welfare risks and opportunities. Establishing welfare standards before production scales prevents the lock-in of poor practices that is much harder to change later. Investment in welfare-positive aquaculture design, species-appropriate husbandry, and independent welfare monitoring at this growth stage can prevent the creation of an intensive fish farming sector with the welfare problems of intensive terrestrial farming.

What You Can Do

Choose aquaculture products from producers with welfare certifications
Support organizations working to establish welfare standards for emerging aquaculture species
Advocate for aquaculture welfare regulation to keep pace with sector expansion
Donate to fish welfare research to build the evidence base for expanding species