Rainbow trout are among the most widely farmed fish species globally. Their welfare needs are increasingly understood, enabling evidence-based improvements to farming standards and practices.
Rainbow trout welfare has received more scientific attention than most farmed fish species, providing a growing evidence base for welfare-positive production practices. The evidence strongly suggests that trout experience pain and stress, and that farming conditions commonly impose both. Stocking density management, water quality optimisation, disease prevention, and pre-slaughter stunning are all tractable interventions that meaningfully improve trout welfare while remaining commercially viable. Consumer demand for higher-welfare certified trout products is an important driver of uptake.