Disease is the primary welfare challenge in aquaculture — moving beyond antibiotic dependence toward prevention-focused management improves both fish welfare and public health.
Disease prevention in aquaculture is fundamentally a welfare issue — fish dying slowly from bacterial or viral disease, or experiencing chronic sub-clinical infection, are fish suffering preventable welfare harms. The development of vaccines for major aquaculture pathogens — like the sea lice vaccines in development and the bacterial vaccines already in use in salmon farming — represents one of the most significant potential welfare improvements in the industry. Norway's dramatic reduction in antibiotic use through vaccination programs demonstrates that disease management does not require antibiotic dependence. Prevention-focused management that combines vaccination, lower stocking densities, improved water quality, and genetic resistance selection can improve fish welfare while reducing public health risks from antibiotic resistance.