Aquaculture Welfare

Aquaculture Welfare Certification Future Directions

The future of aquaculture welfare certification depends on developing species-specific, evidence-based standards that address real welfare priorities.

Key Facts

Current aquaculture certification schemes vary widely in their welfare content and rigour
Most schemes focus more on environmental sustainability than individual fish welfare
Species-specific standards are needed as welfare needs differ substantially between fish species
Certification costs can be prohibitive for small-scale producers in developing countries
Consumer demand for welfare-labelled seafood is growing but remains a small market segment

Welfare Considerations

Aquaculture welfare certification has significant untapped potential to drive welfare improvement at scale. For this potential to be realised, schemes must develop rigorous, species-specific welfare standards based on the best available science, implement robust third-party verification, and find ways to make certification accessible to diverse producer contexts globally.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood with welfare certification that specifies fish-specific welfare standards
Support organisations developing evidence-based aquaculture welfare standards
Advocate for welfare content to be a mandatory element of sustainable seafood certification