European sea bass are widely farmed in Mediterranean aquaculture, but intensive production conditions including high stocking density, net pen stress, and slaughter practices raise significant welfare concerns.
Sea bass welfare in intensive aquaculture is compromised in multiple ways. High stocking densities prevent normal space use and predatory behaviour, causing chronic stress indicated by elevated cortisol and reduced immune function. Hierarchy formation in crowded conditions leads to aggression and fin damage. Transport and netting events cause acute stress. Slaughter methods in Mediterranean aquaculture vary widely — many operations still use ice slurry immersion without prior stunning, which is associated with prolonged consciousness and distress. The welfare science on fish is now sufficiently advanced that fish industry claims of simple stress responses being welfare-irrelevant are no longer scientifically defensible. EU aquaculture welfare regulations are gradually improving, but implementation and enforcement remain uneven.