Atlantic cod aquaculture has grown as wild stocks have collapsed. Cod welfare in farming presents specific challenges related to their behavior, disease susceptibility, and growth conditions.
Atlantic cod aquaculture welfare occurs in the context of wild population collapse that makes the conservation dimension of farming decisions particularly significant. Individual farmed cod welfare is shaped by disease burden, stocking density, water quality, and slaughter methods that require species-specific research to optimize. The intersection of poor welfare in farming conditions and potential genetic escape threatening recovering wild populations creates a dual welfare concern — for farmed individuals and for wild population integrity. High-welfare cod farming systems that minimize disease through low stocking density and good water management simultaneously provide better individual welfare and reduce antibiotic use that affects environmental welfare.