Barramundi is one of Australia's most important farmed fish species and a growing global aquaculture product, with welfare dependent on water temperature management, stocking density, and disease prevention.
Barramundi welfare in aquaculture requires managing a species with specific temperature requirements, aggressive feeding behavior, and sensitivity to water quality parameters. Cold stress below the thermal tolerance threshold causes immune suppression, lethargy, and increased disease susceptibility, making temperature management a welfare priority particularly for facilities in temperate climates using recirculating systems. The cannibalistic tendency of barramundi at mixed sizes necessitates regular size-grading that is itself a stressful handling event. Managing the welfare cost of necessary management interventions against the welfare benefit of preventing cannibalism injury represents a recurring decision point for producers. The emerging use of barramundi in indoor recirculating systems in temperate markets creates new welfare challenges around thermal management that demand species-specific attention.