Catfish aquaculture is a major industry in the US and globally, with welfare challenges including pond water quality, handling stress, and slaughter methods that have received limited research attention.
Catfish aquaculture occupies an important place in US food security but has received comparatively little welfare research or regulatory attention. Summer oxygen depletion events in catfish ponds cause hypoxia that forces fish to the surface and can cause mass mortality when not managed properly. Harvest seining creates intense crowding and handling stress. The fact that catfish are subject to USDA oversight unlike most other farmed fish in the US creates an opportunity for welfare standards to be incorporated into regulatory frameworks. Building on this regulatory foundation to develop species-specific welfare standards is a practical opportunity for improvement.