Atlantic cod aquaculture has been attempted for decades but faces persistent welfare and production challenges. Understanding these helps assess farmed cod as a seafood choice.
Farmed cod welfare faces structural challenges rooted in the species' biology. Cod are active predatory fish with large natural ranges and aggressive tendencies that make aquaculture inherently welfare-compromising. Cannibalism of smaller individuals by larger ones is a constant management challenge requiring resource-intensive size grading. Disease susceptibility means high mortality rates are common, representing both welfare harm and production loss. The persistence of commercial cod aquaculture despite these challenges reflects the economic opportunity of a declining wild stock, but the welfare case for farmed cod as a product is weak compared to better-adapted aquaculture species.