Carp species are the most farmed fish globally by volume, yet their welfare in Asian aquaculture systems is rarely scrutinized despite evidence of significant stress and injury in intensive production.
Carp are often portrayed as hardy fish that can tolerate poor conditions, and while they are more tolerant than sensitive species like salmon, this tolerance has a limit that intensive production regularly exceeds. High-density carp ponds with inadequate aeration create chronic hypoxia, ammonia stress, and disease pressure. Harvest procedures using seine nets concentrate hundreds of thousands of fish under conditions of extreme crowding and often partial air exposure. Live transport — a significant part of the Asian carp market — subjects fish to prolonged stress in crowded, often poorly oxygenated water. Welfare improvements in carp aquaculture require minimum space and water quality standards, humane harvest protocols, and better transport conditions.