Closed containment aquaculture systems that raise fish on land in controlled environments offer significant welfare advantages over traditional open-water net pens.
Closed containment aquaculture addresses several major welfare concerns simultaneously. Sea lice — the primary chronic welfare problem in salmon farming — cannot reach fish in enclosed land-based systems. Precise environmental control eliminates oxygen depletion events and allows optimal temperature management. Biosecurity improvements reduce disease pressure and antibiotic use. The welfare tradeoffs of RAS include: higher fish density requiring excellent management, noise and light impacts on fish, and the stress of more frequent handling for monitoring. Overall, well-managed RAS systems offer substantial welfare improvements over net pen alternatives, and the industry is investing rapidly in this technology.