Grouper farming across Southeast Asia is a major industry with significant welfare challenges including high stocking densities, disease management and live reef fish trade origins.
Grouper welfare encompasses both wild-capture and farmed individuals. Wild-capture using cyanide causes neurological damage and high post-capture mortality. Farmed grouper welfare is constrained by species-specific challenges including high aggression, territorial behaviour and vulnerability to viral disease. Consumer choice for live-transported grouper drives welfare-poor supply chains. Certified aquaculture from farms with welfare protocols provides better welfare outcomes.