Catfish farming is a major aquaculture sector particularly in the US and Southeast Asia, with specific welfare challenges around water quality, handling, and slaughter.
Catfish welfare occupies a middle ground in aquaculture welfare discussions: channel catfish farming in the US is relatively extensive with pond systems that partially accommodate natural behavior, while Vietnamese pangasius production in intensive systems has significant water quality management problems. Both systems share welfare concerns around harvest methods, handling stress, and slaughter practices. Catfish show nociceptive responses consistent with pain experience, and their sensitivity to water quality means that dissolved oxygen depletion — common in high-density production — creates physiological stress before causing mass mortality events. Developing catfish-specific welfare standards requires investment in understanding the behavioral and physiological needs of these commercially important but underresearched species.