Tilapia is among the world's most farmed fish, produced predominantly in Asia, Africa and Latin America under conditions that often neglect basic welfare needs.
Tilapia tolerate poor water conditions compared to other farmed fish, making them vulnerable to being kept in low-quality environments without obvious mortality. However, chronic low oxygen, ammonia buildup and crowding cause physiological stress even when fish survive. Their complex social behaviour is frustrated by overcrowding. The absence of welfare regulation for tilapia in most producing countries means suffering is systematic and unaddressed.