Tilapia is the second most farmed fish globally, with production systems ranging from artisanal ponds to intensive recirculating systems with variable welfare outcomes.
Tilapia welfare is highly variable across production systems. Extensively managed pond systems with lower densities tend to produce fish with fewer stress indicators, though disease and water quality management remain challenges. Intensive systems optimize growth but create chronic crowding stress and higher disease pressure. Bacterial disease outbreaks cause suffering and mortality, often treated with antibiotics that carry resistance implications. The hormone treatment used for sex reversal in early life raises welfare questions that are not yet fully resolved. Slaughter practices are typically unstunned asphyxiation in both small-scale and many commercial settings. Improving tilapia welfare requires attention to stocking density, disease management, and humane slaughter across the production chain.