Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) is one of the most important farmed fish species in the Mediterranean. Improving welfare across its intensive production cycle is a key challenge.
Sea bream welfare is affected throughout the production cycle. Early larval stages involve high mortality rates from crowding and nutritional stress. Grow-out in sea cages exposes fish to variable environmental conditions and handling stress during biomass checks. Aggression at feeding can be reduced through automatic feeders delivering frequent small meals. Sea lice and gill parasites cause chronic irritation and immune compromise. At slaughter, live chilling in ice slurry — common in Mediterranean aquaculture — may cause prolonged suffering if fish are not stunned first. Electrical stunning followed by percussion provides more humane slaughter. Welfare-aware certification schemes are beginning to address these issues.