Atlantic cod farming is expanding as wild stocks remain depleted. The welfare of farmed cod involves specific challenges related to their biology and intensive rearing conditions.
Farmed cod welfare involves challenges somewhat distinct from salmon aquaculture. Cod are aggressive and cannibalistic under crowded conditions, making stocking density management critical. Size heterogeneity within cohorts triggers predatory behavior, requiring regular grading to maintain uniform groups. The species has specific temperature and light requirements that, when not properly managed, cause chronic physiological stress. Welfare assessment for farmed cod is still maturing — validated outcome measures like injury prevalence, behavioral indicators, and stress physiology markers are being developed. The expansion of cod aquaculture should be accompanied by evidence-based welfare standards from the outset rather than retrofitted later.