European sea bass is a premium aquaculture species whose welfare has received increasing attention as production has expanded in Mediterranean countries.
Sea bass welfare in Mediterranean cage culture is influenced by environmental conditions beyond full farmer control, including storm events, jellyfish blooms, and predator pressure from birds and seals. These stochastic events can cause mass mortality events or injury to large numbers of fish in ways that intensive inland systems do not experience. Management approaches that improve cage resilience, provide predator protection, and enable rapid response to environmental crises improve welfare as well as economic outcomes. Slaughter welfare for sea bass, which is often sold live or killed on ice without stunning, remains a significant welfare concern requiring technological solutions.