Disease management in farmed rainbow trout requires welfare-centred approaches that prevent suffering through biosecurity, vaccination and rapid treatment when disease occurs.
Trout disease welfare encompasses both the suffering caused by diseases themselves and the welfare implications of treatment methods. Infectious diseases cause pain, behavioral abnormalities and physiological distress in affected fish. Prevention through biosecurity, vaccination and optimal husbandry conditions achieves better welfare outcomes than reactive treatment and has the added benefit of reducing antibiotic use. When disease occurs despite preventive measures, rapid accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment minimize the duration of suffering. Temperature management as a tool for disease prevention demonstrates the intersection of environmental and health welfare in trout production.