Atlantic cod aquaculture has expanded in Norway and Iceland as wild cod stocks recover. The welfare needs of this relatively new aquaculture species are being defined as the industry develops.
Farmed cod welfare is an emerging area where the welfare science is still catching up with commercial development. Unlike salmon, where decades of welfare research have produced detailed understanding of stress indicators and management levers, cod aquaculture welfare protocols are still being established. The demersal lifestyle of wild cod means they interact differently with tank substrates and lighting than pelagic species. Cannibalism among juveniles of similar size is a welfare problem requiring careful size grading. The development of welfare-positive cod aquaculture is an opportunity to establish good practices from the outset rather than retrofitting welfare improvements to established bad practices — a model the industry and regulators should embrace proactively.