Fish in aquaculture benefit from environmental enrichment that allows expression of natural behaviors, reducing stress and stereotypic behavior in intensive culture systems.
Aquaculture enrichment for fish applies the same welfare principles used in terrestrial farming: providing environmental complexity that allows natural behavior reduces chronic stress and improves both welfare and biological performance. Tank-reared fish in featureless environments develop stereotypic behaviors analogous to those seen in other intensively confined animals. Structural enrichment, appropriate flow rates, and natural light cycles provide low-cost welfare improvements with documented benefits for fish health and production performance.