Welfare considerations in farmed Eurasian perch production, an emerging cold-water aquaculture species with specific behavioral and environmental needs.
Perch aquaculture welfare revolves around managing species-specific aggression and cannibalism tendencies, particularly in juvenile stages where size hierarchies emerge rapidly. Frequent size grading maintains uniformity within cohorts and reduces injury from competitive feeding. Stocking density must be carefully managed — too low density can paradoxically increase aggression, while too high density stresses fish through competition and deteriorating water quality. Environmental enrichment through current provision and structural complexity has shown welfare benefits in related species. Pre-slaughter welfare requires water temperature reduction to induce cold narcosis or electrical stunning before killing. As perch aquaculture scales up, establishing welfare protocols ahead of full commercialization is important.