Gilthead sea bream is the second most important farmed marine fish in the Mediterranean after sea bass. Intensive cage production raises welfare concerns around crowding, parasite burden, and slaughter that parallel those in other marine aquaculture sectors.
Sea bream welfare mirrors the challenges facing sea bass production in the Mediterranean: high cage densities, parasite burden, handling stress, and poorly regulated slaughter. The territorial nature of sea bream means that crowding in commercial cages produces chronic social stress and competition that affects feeding efficiency and fin condition. Parasite infestations — particularly the fluke Sparicotyle chrysophrii affecting gills — cause respiratory distress and significant mortality if untreated. Chemical treatments for parasites introduce their own welfare concerns through handling and chemical stress. Slaughter welfare is the most acute and tractable issue: ice slurry immersion causes prolonged conscious suffering that could be eliminated with electrical or percussive stunning before killing. The concentration of Mediterranean sea bream and sea bass production in a relatively small number of large companies creates an opportunity for certification-based welfare improvement that could reach a substantial proportion of production.