Atlantic and Pacific halibut are increasingly farmed due to their high market value, but welfare standards are underdeveloped for this large, specialist flatfish.
Halibut welfare in aquaculture is poorly understood and rarely monitored. The high developmental abnormality rate in farmed juveniles — including eye malposition — is both a welfare and production concern that has received insufficient attention. As a flatfish, halibut have specific substrate and lighting preferences that are often not met in aquaculture systems. Growing consumer interest in premium sustainable seafood creates an opportunity to leverage market signals for welfare improvement in this species.