Atlantic cod aquaculture is being developed as wild stocks recover from collapse, raising important welfare questions about stocking density, slaughter, and the specific needs of this species.
Cod welfare in aquaculture shares many concerns with other farmed fish: stocking density management is critical to prevent chronic stress and aggression, water quality parameters must be maintained precisely, and slaughter must be conducted humanely with effective stunning before killing. Cod-specific welfare concerns include their need for cold, well-oxygenated water — temperature excursions cause acute physiological stress. As a schooling species, social environment matters to cod welfare. Research into cod-specific welfare indicators — including behavioural and physiological stress markers — is less developed than for salmon, requiring precautionary application of general fish welfare principles. The conservation significance of cod farming in supporting recovery of wild populations adds an ethical dimension beyond individual welfare.