Vietnam is the world's largest producer of pangasius (swai) catfish, exporting billions of fish annually. Welfare standards in this massive industry lag far behind production growth.
The scale of pangasius farming means welfare improvements here could benefit more individual animals than almost any other single intervention. Current stocking densities cause chronic crowding stress: fin damage, suppressed immune function, and elevated cortisol are documented at commercial densities. Water quality fluctuations trigger repeated acute stress responses. Slaughter practices are inconsistent, with many fish likely conscious during processing. Despite pangasius's importance in global food security, it remains one of the least-scrutinised species in welfare terms. Researchers from the Fish Welfare Initiative and others are beginning to document conditions and develop scalable improvement protocols.