Welfare considerations in the intensive farming of catfish species, one of the most important global aquaculture groups, including US channel catfish and Vietnamese pangasius.
Catfish welfare in intensive production systems faces the same fundamental challenges as other intensively farmed fish: high densities, disease pressure, water quality management, and slaughter methods. A distinctive welfare consideration for catfish is their air-breathing ability — this physiological adaptation allows them to survive in oxygen-depleted water that would distress other fish species, potentially allowing welfare-compromising conditions to persist without obvious mortality signals. Disease events, particularly ESC outbreaks, cause significant suffering from haemorrhagic lesions and systemic illness. The pangasius industry specifically has faced scrutiny over the conditions in Vietnamese farming operations, though certification schemes have driven improvement in some supply chains. Welfare-conscious purchasing and production practices can improve outcomes for what is one of the world's most numerically significant farmed fish groups.