Developing valid welfare indicators for farmed fish is essential for the next generation of aquaculture welfare standards.
The development of valid fish welfare indicators represents a scientific and practical priority for aquaculture. Unlike land animal welfare assessment which can build on decades of research, fish welfare science is relatively young and species-specific indicators are only partially validated. The welfare indicators that will drive meaningful improvement in aquaculture must be both scientifically valid — reliably reflecting subjective experience — and practically applicable at commercial scale. Investment in indicator development and validation is foundational to the next generation of fish welfare standards.