Broodstock animals used to produce eggs and sperm for aquaculture are often held for years and may experience repeated handling and spawning induction procedures.
Broodstock are the foundation of aquaculture supply chains — the animals from which all farmed progeny originate — yet they receive less welfare attention than growing animals. Held for years rather than months, they experience repeated handling, hormonal induction procedures, and often restrictive holding conditions. The physiological stress of repeated spawning induction has measurable welfare costs that compound over the lifetime of the individual. Improving broodstock welfare requires applying the same evidence-based frameworks used for grow-out fish: appropriate space, water quality, social housing, environmental complexity, and minimally stressful handling techniques. Including broodstock welfare criteria in aquaculture certification would extend welfare protection to an overlooked category of farmed fish.