Atlantic halibut is among the most challenging aquaculture species to farm, with welfare problems arising from their specific biological requirements and the difficulty of meeting them in captivity.
Halibut welfare exemplifies the challenge of farming species with highly specific environmental requirements. As bottom-dwelling fish, halibut need flat substrate for normal postural behavior. Standard cylindrical aquaculture tanks do not provide this, forcing fish into continuous swimming that is physiologically and behaviorally abnormal. Cannibalism in juvenile stages requires repeated size grading — a stressful handling procedure. The combination of difficult welfare requirements and slow growth rates makes halibut an economically marginal species where welfare investment is particularly challenging to justify commercially. Consumer choice of halibut should be informed by these welfare considerations.