Aquaculture welfare science is rapidly developing but significant gaps remain. Identifying research priorities helps direct funding and effort toward the questions most important for welfare improvement.
Aquaculture welfare research investment is dramatically insufficient relative to the number of animals affected and the welfare improvements that evidence-based practice could deliver. The research gap is not merely academic - it means that welfare standards are developed on limited evidence, interventions are adopted or rejected without knowing their welfare effects, and certification schemes use imperfect proxies for welfare that may miss important welfare dimensions. Strategic investment in validated welfare indicators for major aquaculture species, positive welfare science that goes beyond harm prevention, and long-term welfare assessment methodologies would enable substantially better welfare outcomes across the industry. Directing research funding and graduate student effort toward these priorities is one of the highest-leverage investments available in aquaculture welfare.