The nutritional management of farmed tilapia has significant welfare implications, with dietary deficiencies causing disease, poor growth, and compromised immune function in these widely farmed fish.
Tilapia nutritional welfare is compromised when least-cost feed formulation prioritizes economics over health. Vitamin deficiencies cause skeletal deformities, cataracts, and immune suppression that predispose fish to disease. Aflatoxin from moldy grain ingredients causes liver toxicity and increased cancer risk. Poor nutrition interacts with crowding and poor water quality to create synergistic welfare failures. The welfare case for improving tilapia nutrition aligns well with production economics — better-nourished fish grow faster, resist disease better, and have lower mortality rates. However, competitive market pressure drives feed cost minimization. Consumer demand for certified products with welfare criteria creates market incentives for better nutritional management.