Fish welfare certification is a growing field with several schemes now including species-specific welfare standards; their coverage, rigour, and independence vary significantly.
Fish welfare certification is still developing relative to terrestrial livestock, reflecting both the more recent recognition of fish sentience and the technical challenges of welfare assessment in aquatic environments. The schemes that exist provide a meaningful signal for consumers and create market incentives for producer welfare investment, but coverage gaps — by species, geography, and welfare issue — mean that certification alone cannot protect all farmed fish from welfare compromise. Research and policy engagement alongside certification support are needed.