European sea bass is one of the most commercially valuable farmed fish in the Mediterranean. Growing evidence of its sentience and stress physiology is driving increasing attention to welfare standards in this sector.
Sea bass welfare follows the general pattern of intensive marine finfish farming: confinement in cage systems that restrict natural behaviour, crowding that elevates chronic stress, and harvesting practices that cause acute suffering. The welfare of sea bass during slaughter is particularly concerning — live-chilled systems used in much Mediterranean production involve prolonged consciousness during temperature reduction, which may cause minutes of suffering rather than rapid insensibility. Electrical stunning before slaughter is effective but not yet standard in the industry. Welfare improvements — density reduction, disease management that reduces mortality without welfare compromise, and mandatory stunning — are technically achievable but require market pressure and regulatory mandates to implement at scale.