Atlantic halibut aquaculture is challenging and growing, with welfare considerations spanning a long production cycle from fragile juveniles to large adults.
Atlantic halibut welfare is notable for the length and complexity of the production cycle — a 3-5 year commitment to welfare management from fragile juvenile to large adult. Each life stage presents distinct welfare challenges: the hatchery phase requires precise environmental control to prevent high juvenile mortality; the grow-out phase requires managing cannibalism, light conditions, and temperature; and the harvest phase requires effective stunning of large, sensitive flatfish. The economic value of each halibut — given the long grow-out and small number of fish per tank — creates both motivation and financial capacity for welfare investment. Progressive Norwegian producers have adopted comprehensive welfare monitoring across the production cycle as both an ethical and commercial priority.