Tilapia is the world's third most farmed fish, but welfare standards in tilapia aquaculture lag significantly behind salmonid production.
Tilapia welfare receives limited research attention despite their status as the third most farmed fish globally. Their tolerance for low oxygen and crowded conditions — an evolutionary adaptation to seasonal lake environments — has been exploited to justify intensive farming conditions that cause chronic stress. Behavioural stress indicators, fin damage, and disease susceptibility all increase with stocking density. The welfare obligation for tilapia is the same as for any other sentient farmed animal; their hardiness does not eliminate the suffering caused by poor conditions.