Voluntary welfare certification for farmed fish has developed significantly in recent years, providing consumers with information about welfare standards and creating market incentives for producers to improve.
Aquaculture welfare certification provides an important market mechanism for driving welfare improvements by rewarding producers who invest in better conditions. However, the proliferation of certification schemes with varying standards creates consumer confusion and risks greenwashing. The most credible certifications are those that set science-based welfare standards, require third-party auditing by trained assessors, publish audit results, and have a programme of continuous standard improvement. As fish welfare science advances, certification standards should incorporate new knowledge about fish pain, stress, and social needs.