Welfare considerations in Atlantic halibut aquaculture, including the challenges of farming a large, bottom-dwelling flatfish species.
Farmed halibut welfare is shaped by the fundamental mismatch between the complex ecological requirements of a large, wild-ranging flatfish and the constraints of intensive aquaculture. Halibut in wild conditions move extensively across the seafloor, have complex sensory lives, and are highly sensitive to their environment. In intensive farming systems, these sensory and behavioral needs are substantially unmet. The welfare science for halibut is less developed than for salmon and trout, creating gaps in knowledge that the industry has not systematically filled. Improved welfare standards for halibut farming require investment in species-specific research and the development of welfare indicators appropriate to flatfish biology.