Barramundi is a highly valued food fish farmed across Asia and Australia in both cage and land-based systems. Its welfare needs as an active predator require species-specific management.
Barramundi welfare in aquaculture presents challenges related to the species' predatory, territorial nature. Cannibalism among juvenile barramundi of different sizes is a significant welfare problem requiring careful size grading. Adults in crowded conditions show aggressive interactions and fin damage. As temperature-tolerant euryhaline species, barramundi are adaptable to diverse production systems, but stocking density and water quality management remain critical welfare determinants. Land-based RAS systems for barramundi in non-tropical markets offer environmental control but require careful welfare management at commercial stocking densities. Welfare research specific to barramundi is limited, and more attention to this important species is warranted.