Technological innovation in aquaculture system design is creating opportunities to improve fish welfare while maintaining or improving production efficiency.
Technological innovation offers genuine opportunities to improve fish welfare in commercial aquaculture at scale. Automated welfare monitoring that can detect abnormal behaviour in real time enables early intervention before welfare problems escalate. Closed containment systems that eliminate sea lice and ecosystem interaction concerns represent a welfare advance over open-net systems. RAS technology that provides optimal water quality addresses one of the primary welfare-relevant variables in intensive fish production. Investment in welfare-positive technology is both an ethical and economic opportunity for the aquaculture industry.