Sea bream farming is a major Mediterranean aquaculture industry. Welfare standards for this species are improving but remain inconsistent across production systems.
Sea bream welfare has historically received less attention than salmon, despite comparable production volumes. The move toward third-party welfare auditing in Mediterranean aquaculture is a positive trend. Key welfare priorities include monitoring for cataracts and skeletal deformities, managing stocking density and sea cage conditions, improving handling during grading and harvest, and implementing electrical or percussive stunning before slaughter. Consumer demand for welfare certification is growing and is driving improvement.