Atlantic cod aquaculture faces specific welfare challenges including high stocking densities, skin lesions, and the difficulty of replicating the natural environment of a wide-ranging predatory fish.
Cod aquaculture welfare reflects the fundamental challenge of farming a large, active predatory fish in commercial-scale systems. Cod are not schooling fish by nature in the way that herring or sardines are — they are competitive, individualistic predators with strong foraging motivation that is difficult to satisfy in cage systems. Skin lesions and fin damage increase with stocking density. Slaughter welfare is particularly challenging as cod tolerate carbon dioxide narcosis poorly and require alternative stunning methods. Research into cod-specific welfare indicators and system design improvements reflects the growing recognition that welfare cannot be an afterthought in aquaculture planning.