Turbot are commercially farmed flatfish with specific welfare considerations related to their benthic lifestyle and high-value production context.
Turbot aquaculture welfare has specific dimensions linked to the flatfish body plan and ecology. Unlike salmonids that occupy the water column, turbot in natural conditions spend most time resting on or partially buried in sediment. Aquaculture systems that provide no substrate contact — glass or smooth concrete tank floors — deny this basic postural need, and high stocking densities reduce the proportion of floor space available for each animal. Research shows that turbot with substrate access and appropriate stocking densities show reduced cortisol and better growth, demonstrating alignment between welfare and productivity. Pre-slaughter stunning before the carbon dioxide or ice slurry methods common in traditional production represents a welfare improvement that the high economic value of the product makes commercially rational to implement.