Examining welfare challenges in European seabass aquaculture — one of the most commercially important Mediterranean fish — and the improvements that can reduce suffering in this major industry.
Mediterranean seabass aquaculture has grown enormously in the past three decades with limited corresponding development of welfare standards. The species has characteristics — predatory behavior, social complexity, and stress responsiveness — that make intensive cage culture particularly problematic. Water quality management in open-sea cages is inherently limited, and stocking densities are often set by economic rather than welfare considerations. The EU's aquatic animal health framework provides some disease management provisions but largely lacks welfare-specific requirements for finfish. Improving seabass welfare requires both regulatory development and industry leadership to implement lower stocking densities and better environmental management.