Sturgeon are farmed for caviar and meat globally. Their long lives, late maturity and specialised needs create distinct welfare challenges in aquaculture settings.
Sturgeon aquaculture raises welfare concerns across their long productive lifetimes. Animals kept for years or decades in inadequate conditions accumulate welfare deficits invisible in short-term assessments. Chronic stress from crowding, poor water quality and inappropriate social environments compromises immune function and behavioural expression. The development of no-kill caviar extraction methods improves end-of-life welfare but does not address husbandry conditions throughout the production period. Welfare science specific to sturgeon is limited, representing a significant gap given the commercial importance of the industry.