Snakehead fish are popular in Asian aquaculture for their hardiness and fast growth, but intensive farming methods raise significant welfare concerns that are only beginning to receive attention.
The hardiness of snakehead fish — their ability to withstand poor water quality and survive air exposure — has led to inadequate attention to their welfare needs in aquaculture. Being able to survive poor conditions does not mean those conditions are acceptable from a welfare perspective. Snakeheads show stress responses to crowding, handling, and water quality deterioration similar to other teleost fish. Their pain perception capacity is comparable to other fish species that are afforded more welfare consideration. The lack of welfare research and certification for snakehead aquaculture is a gap that needs urgent attention given the scale of their production.