Atlantic cod and haddock farming is growing in Norway, Iceland, and Scotland, attempting to relieve pressure on wild stocks while raising new welfare questions specific to these predatory fish.
Atlantic cod and haddock aquaculture face welfare challenges that reflect their evolutionary origins as active predatory fish in open sea environments. Malformation rates in cod aquaculture are high — jaw deformities, spinal curvature, and organ anomalies are common under intensive conditions — indicating that current rearing methods do not adequately meet developmental needs. Cannibalism among juveniles causes both direct injury and chronic stress from predation threat. The species-specific welfare science needed to establish evidence-based standards is underdeveloped, meaning the industry currently operates without the knowledge base that salmon farming at least partially benefits from.