Farmed Atlantic cod face specific welfare challenges related to density, disease susceptibility, and feeding behavior that require targeted management approaches.
Atlantic cod welfare in aquaculture settings has received increasing research attention as commercial farming has revived. Key welfare challenges include disease susceptibility in intensive systems, cannibalism causing injury and stress to smaller fish, and feeding systems that do not match natural behavioral patterns. Improvements in feeding technology, stocking density management, and early life stage husbandry have reduced some welfare burdens. Ongoing research into cod behavioral needs and stress indicators is essential for welfare-informed production system design.