Aquaculture Advances: Improving Fish Welfare at Scale

As aquaculture produces over half the world's seafood, innovations in stocking density, water quality management, and humane slaughter are transforming the welfare of billions of farmed fish.

Key Facts

Global aquaculture produces over 90 million tonnes of aquatic animals annually, with fish welfare now recognized as a critical sustainability issue.
High stocking densities in conventional aquaculture increase aggression, fin damage, and stress-related immunosuppression.
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) allow precise control of water quality parameters critical to fish welfare.
Electrical and percussive stunning before slaughter are now standard in progressive salmon farming operations.
Feed conversion ratios in salmon aquaculture have improved by over 50% since the 1990s, reducing wild fish inputs.

Welfare Considerations

Fish in aquaculture environments experience chronic stressors including crowding, handling, disease, and suboptimal water conditions. The physiological stress response in teleost fish is well-documented, and chronic stress compromises immune function and accelerates disease. Welfare-positive aquaculture practices — lower densities, enriched environments, good water quality, and humane slaughter — produce healthier fish with better flesh quality, creating economic incentives aligned with welfare goals.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by standards that include fish welfare criteria such as GlobalG.A.P.
Ask retailers and restaurants about the welfare standards of their aquaculture suppliers.
Support research organizations like the Fish Welfare Initiative.
Reduce overall seafood consumption or shift to bivalves, which have lower welfare concerns.
Advocate for fish welfare to be included in national aquaculture regulations.