Channel catfish and pangasius are among the most widely farmed fish globally, raised in pond systems that present welfare challenges including low dissolved oxygen, crowding, handling stress, and poorly standardised slaughter methods.
Catfish welfare receives far less attention than salmonid welfare despite comparable production volumes and similar welfare concerns. The episodic oxygen crashes that affect pond-raised catfish cause genuine distress before mortality or aeration intervention. Crowding during harvest produces acute stress responses measurable in cortisol elevation and fin damage. As with other farmed fish, the precautionary principle applies: catfish possess nociceptors, show avoidance responses, and have central nervous systems capable of processing noxious stimuli. Improving dissolved oxygen management through automated aeration systems, reducing stocking densities, and adopting electrical pre-slaughter stunning would significantly reduce suffering in this large and largely overlooked category of farmed animals.