How disease management in trout aquaculture balances welfare and production goals.
Disease management in trout aquaculture has a dual welfare dimension: disease itself causes suffering through pathological processes, immune activation, and behavioral change, while treatment approaches — particularly handling for antibiotic administration — cause additional acute welfare costs. The shift toward vaccination as a preventive strategy represents a significant welfare advancement: vaccines administered early in the production cycle prevent disease without repeated handling interventions. The ongoing challenge is managing emerging diseases in changing water temperatures, where climate warming is expanding the seasonal window of some pathogens. Farms with robust biosecurity, appropriate stocking densities, and proactive water quality management achieve disease prevention rather than disease treatment, creating better welfare outcomes at lower cost.