Catfish are among the most widely farmed fish globally, yet welfare during rearing, transport, and slaughter receives minimal scientific or regulatory attention despite growing evidence of fish sentience.
Farmed catfish welfare is compromised throughout the production cycle. High stocking densities lead to elevated cortisol stress responses, fin damage, and reduced immunocompetence. Water quality management in intensive pond systems is challenging, with oxygen depletion events causing mass stress events and episodic mortality. Disease pressure in intensive systems leads to heavy antibiotic use in some regions. Transport stress during harvest involves netting, crowding, air exposure, and physical trauma. Slaughter practices vary widely, with many operations using methods not assessed for their capacity to render fish unconscious rapidly. Evidence-based welfare improvements including optimal stocking densities, improved water quality monitoring, and validated slaughter protocols are technically feasible but rarely mandated.