Examining welfare conditions in channel catfish aquaculture and what evidence-based improvements benefit fish and producers.
Catfish welfare in pond aquaculture systems reflects the environmental management challenges of warm-water pond production. Dissolved oxygen crashes - particularly in the early morning hours of summer when algal oxygen production ceases and demand peaks - cause acute respiratory stress and mortality events that represent both welfare failures and production losses. The welfare and economic incentives for dissolved oxygen management are therefore aligned: aeration investment pays in both reduced mortality and improved fish welfare. Harvest welfare is more challenging as seine netting necessarily crowds fish in adverse conditions before capture - minimising harvest duration and ensuring immediate stunning at point of kill represent the most impactful improvements available.