Editorial: Fish welfare in aquaculture and research—where are we going? (2025)

Pietsch, C.

Abstract

Rapid technical developments are taking place in aquaculture, and its production is increasing globally every year by more than 4%. Research is the necessary foundation for politics to define reasonable regulations and recommend guidelines for aquaculture, but also the basis for a well-functioning and sustainable industry with capable producers, state-of-the-art infrastructure and contented fish. This includes a clear definition of the husbandry conditions that should be recommended for each fish species. All fish species differ in their life cycle, behaviour, environmental and nutritional requirements, and many more ways. This makes generalization of welfare assessment methods very difficult. In addition to this, our ability to empathize with fish and to understand their needs is limited. For a long time, even nociception in fish has been rejected. Nowadays, we have been slowly trying to understand fish and their needs. However, actual fish welfare assessments are often insufficient to prevent harm from farmed fish. […]