European sea bass is one of the most economically important farmed fish in the Mediterranean. Welfare in sea cage production depends on stocking density, feed management and disease control.
Sea bass welfare in Mediterranean cage culture is compromised by the highly aggressive, territorial nature of the species. Unlike some schooling fish, sea bass maintain individual dominance relationships that cause chronic stress for subordinate individuals in dense cage environments. Territorial aggression results in fin damage, scale loss and chronic subordination stress in lower-ranking fish. Warm Mediterranean water temperatures during summer increase metabolic rates and disease pressure simultaneously. Slaughter by ice slurry without prior stunning can take many minutes, during which fish are fully conscious. The combination of chronic stress from dominance interactions and inhumane slaughter represents a significant welfare burden in mainstream Mediterranean sea bass production.