Disease is the primary welfare challenge in pangasius farming, with Edwardsiellosis, motile Aeromonas septicaemia, and parasites causing significant mortality and suffering.
Pangasius disease welfare reflects the consequences of intensive production at very high stocking densities without adequate biosecurity infrastructure. Disease outbreaks spread rapidly through crowded pond systems, causing mortality events that indicate prior prolonged welfare compromise in surviving fish. Bacterial infections including Edwardsiellosis cause haemorrhagic lesions and systemic disease involving significant suffering. The high antibiotic use historically associated with pangasius production creates antimicrobial resistance that threatens long-term treatment efficacy, eventually worsening welfare outcomes. Certification standards requiring health management plans and reduced antibiotic reliance are improving the situation, but disease remains the primary welfare challenge in this major global fishery.