Aquaculture Species Selection and Welfare

The choice of species to farm in aquaculture has profound welfare implications, with some species far more amenable to humane farming than others.

Key Facts

Bivalves (oysters, mussels) have the lowest welfare concern of farmed aquatic species
Salmon and trout have the highest welfare evidence base among farmed fish
Shrimp welfare remains poorly understood but scale is enormous
Carnivorous species require fish-based feed, creating a welfare cascade
Lower trophic level species have lower environmental and welfare impact per unit production

Welfare Considerations

Species selection in aquaculture is a welfare decision: farming oysters instead of salmon involves fundamentally different welfare profiles. Bivalves have limited evidence for sentience and can be farmed with minimal welfare risk. Salmon have well-documented pain responses, complex navigation, and cognitive abilities that make intensive farming welfare-costly. Welfare-conscious aquaculture development should prioritise species with lower sentience probability and greater tolerance of captive conditions, while investing in improving welfare for high-volume farmed species.

What You Can Do

Choose bivalves and lower-trophic-level seafood when reducing animal welfare harm
Support higher-welfare certification for farmed salmon and trout
Advocate for welfare impact assessment requirements in aquaculture permitting
Support research into welfare-optimised species selection for aquaculture expansion
Engage with aquaculture certification bodies on species-specific welfare standards