Aquaculture welfare science is advancing rapidly but policy frameworks lag significantly behind the evidence, leaving billions of farmed fish without adequate welfare protection.
The gap between fish welfare science and fish welfare policy is one of the most significant failures in contemporary animal protection. The evidence for fish nociception and stress experience is now substantial; welfare indicators have been validated; welfare-positive practices have been identified. Yet most national regulatory frameworks treat fish as unfeeling production units with no welfare status. The EU commitment to fish-specific welfare legislation represents the most significant regulatory movement toward closing this gap. Science-to-policy translation, supported by welfare organizations and researchers communicating findings accessibly, is the critical pathway for improvement.