Atlantic halibut aquaculture is growing but faces significant welfare challenges. As a large, slow-growing flatfish, halibut have specific needs that intensive production systems struggle to meet.
Halibut aquaculture welfare is shaped by the unique physiology of flatfish: animals evolved to lie on the sea floor are held in tanks where orientation, space, and environmental complexity are limited. Cataracts affecting a high proportion of farmed halibut indicate nutritional or environmental management failures with direct welfare consequences. Disease challenges cause welfare harm and require active management. The welfare case for investment in better tank design, nutritional optimization, and disease prevention is strong, particularly given the long grow-out period during which welfare deficiencies accumulate.