Gilthead sea bream is one of the most important farmed fish in the Mediterranean. Welfare challenges including crowding, handling stress, and inhumane slaughter require targeted management improvements.
Sea bream welfare reflects the general challenges of intensive Mediterranean aquaculture: crowding in warm summer waters, frequent handling for health management, and poor pre-slaughter and slaughter welfare. High summer temperatures in shallow sea cages increase metabolic demands and disease susceptibility. Crowding during routine procedures including grading and vaccination causes acute stress responses that depress immune function. Slaughter methods vary significantly in welfare quality; electrical stunning before killing provides humane, immediate insensibility and is increasingly commercially available. Consumer demand for certified welfare-positive Mediterranean fish products remains low relative to salmon, limiting the market pressure for improvement in this sector.