Mediterranean sea bass farming in Greece, Turkey, and Spain produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually, and improving welfare through better practices can benefit millions of fish.
Mediterranean aquaculture has received less welfare scrutiny than Northern European salmon farming, partly due to regulatory differences and partly due to geographic concentration outside major welfare-regulatory markets. Yet the welfare principles are identical: fish respond to crowding, disease, poor water quality, and inhumane slaughter with measurable physiological and behavioral stress indicators. Consumer demand and regulatory harmonization are creating pressure for improvement.