Atlantic cod aquaculture has struggled commercially but continues in some regions. Understanding the welfare challenges of a species with complex behavioral needs informs better practice.
Farmed cod welfare reflects the challenges of intensive aquaculture for a species that is active, social, and physiologically sensitive. Spinal deformities — painful structural abnormalities — occur at rates linked to hatchery genetics and early rearing conditions, representing a welfare failure that requires breed selection and rearing protocol improvement. Cannibalism at high juvenile density causes direct harm to individual fish. Sea lice infestation creates the same welfare challenges documented in salmon. Handling and transport stress during grading involves acute physiological responses. A welfare-conscious cod aquaculture would address these through selective breeding for health and form, appropriate stocking densities, and pre-slaughter stunning standards.