European sea bass is one of the Mediterranean's most commercially important farmed fish, and welfare standards in sea bass aquaculture vary dramatically between operations and countries.
Sea bass welfare presents challenges specific to the species' biology. They are naturally aggressive, territorial predators that establish hierarchies; in high-density aquaculture these hierarchies break down into sustained aggression causing chronic stress and physical injury. Welfare indicators including skin and fin damage, gill condition, and behavioral response to disturbance provide reliable measures of flock-level welfare. The species has demonstrated pain responses and stress physiology broadly similar to salmonids, establishing a clear welfare obligation. Effective pre-slaughter stunning - electrical or CO2 followed by percussion - is achievable and increasingly required by welfare-conscious buyers.