Fish farming has traditionally had limited veterinary involvement. Growing recognition of fish sentience is driving expansion of veterinary welfare programs in aquaculture.
The contrast between veterinary involvement in terrestrial livestock welfare and aquaculture welfare is stark. Dairy cows, pigs, and poultry have legal requirements for veterinary oversight and health programs in most jurisdictions. Fish farms, housing orders of magnitude more animals, typically operate with minimal veterinary involvement. This gap reflects historical assumptions about fish sentience that are increasingly challenged by evidence. As the welfare science of fish advances, the logical extension is greater veterinary involvement in prevention, pain management, disease control, and slaughter welfare. Aquaculture operations that proactively engage veterinary expertise for fish health programs achieve better welfare outcomes and lower mortality from disease — a clear alignment of welfare and commercial interests. Regulatory development of aquatic animal welfare standards is slowly driving greater veterinary involvement.