Improving animal welfare in aquaculture: insights from the World Bank Training Webinar 

March, 2025

Aquaculture is at a crossroads, growing faster than ever to meet rising global seafood demand. But with this expansion come challenges - intensification, environmental concerns, and the urgent need to improve animal welfare.

World Bank Webinar speakers

At FAI, we believe responsible, sustainable, and science-driven practices are the future of aquaculture. Our mission is to ensure fish farming prioritises animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and economic resilience. To advance this, we recently co-hosted a training webinar with The World Bank exploring how animal welfare drives improvements and investments in aquaculture. This event brought together experts and industry leaders to discuss the urgent need for responsible fish and shrimp farming practices and the latest advancements in aquaculture.

The growing demand for transparency

Consumers increasingly want to know how their food is produced, yet seafood lacks the welfare standards now common in terrestrial farming. As Genevieve Connors, Senior Aquaculture Specialist at the World Bank, pointed out, on terrestrial farms, we’ve seen terms like ‘grass-fed’ and ‘cage-free’ become commonplace on labels, but similar standards for seafood are almost non-existent and public awareness of aquatic animal welfare is limited. However, consumer attitudes are shifting and it’s becoming increasingly clear improved welfare means healthier fish, better productivity, and higher-quality seafood - a win for all.

  • Aquaculture now outpaces wild-capture fisheries, producing over 50% of the world's seafood supply.

  • Fish stress levels impact feed efficiency, growth rates, and survival, directly impacting profitability.

  • Only a fraction of seafood certifications include animal welfare, highlighting the need for better standards.

Global increase in aquaculture production overtakes capture fisheries

Reframing aquatic animal welfare

Welfare improvements have traditionally taken a top-down approach, driven by certifications and regulations. But real progress happens when welfare is seen not just as a moral obligation, but as a tool to enhance sustainability and productivity. FAI’s CEO Øistein Thorsen emphasised that welfare must move beyond compliance to become an integral part of farm operations. When welfare is positioned as a key driver of fish health, product quality, and optimised production, it can create value for everyone in the supply chain.

For a deeper dive into this topic, Øistein shares his thoughts in a recent podcast episode.

Building on this idea, COO Murilo Quintiliano introduced FAI’s bottom-up approach to welfare, which puts science into the hands of farmers, empowering them to make impactful changes through hands-on training, workshops and practical tools. This approach prioritises animal welfare by working collaboratively with farmers to integrate it into daily farm management, ensuring practical, lasting improvements.

The concept of ‘Blue Transformation’ was also introduced, highlighting the need to learn from the lessons of the ‘Green Revolution’ and take a holistic approach with fish welfare at the core to resilience, sustainability and economic success.  Scientific evidence shows that fish are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, making welfare improvements both an ethical responsibility and a business opportunity.

  • Scientific studies confirm fish experience pain and stress, reinforcing the importance of good welfare practices.

  • The recent shift in aquaculture welfare science recognises the need to improve mental well-being, not just reduce suffering.

  • Over 450 farmed fish species require species-specific welfare strategies, making a one-size-fits-all approach ineffective.

Training and practical tools for farmers

Education and training are crucial to bridging the welfare knowledge gap in aquaculture. FAI’s Head of FAI’s e-learning programme, Sara Barrento, highlighted how our e-learning programme translates science into practical tools for farmers.

Our five-step framework - training, monitoring, action, integration, and traceability - helps farmers implement welfare practices in daily operations.

Tools like the Tilapia Welfare App (TWA), now used by over 2,000 farms, provide data-driven insights to improve productivity, sustainability, and profitability. To scale this impact, Sara called for greater transparency, smarter investment, and farmer incentives.

  • The backbone to implementing animal welfare is being able to recognise what it looks like and assess it by scoring welfare indicators that are based on science, not perceptions or emotions.

  • Training programmes in multiple languages are essential, as most fish farmers lack access to welfare education.

  • Market demand for ethically produced seafood is growing, but many consumers remain unaware of welfare issues in aquaculture.

Technology as a catalyst for change

Technology is revolutionising welfare in aquaculture and Henrique Junqueira of BTJ AQUA, a family-owned tilapia farming business in Brazil with four sites processing 6 million kg of fillet annually, shared how real-time monitoring and operator training reduce stress and increase farm productivity. BTJ Aqua is heavily invested in innovation and research, focusing on optimising nutrition for enhanced health and growth, alongside strategic projects such as the development of data models, simulations, and comprehensive protocols for tilapia production.

Shannon Roberts from Seafresh Group (Holdings) Limited emphasised the importance of an outcome-based approach, using measurable, science-based indicators to monitor welfare, track progress, and inform management practices.

Fabian Reutsch from HydroNeo demonstrated how integrating the welfare science with high-tech solutions enhances shrimp welfare, farm efficiency and resilience.

Despite these advancements, challenges remain. Many farmers still view welfare improvements as an unnecessary cost and Dr. Ahmad Hamza from AQUAVET EGYPT, highlighted the need for better education and support, particularly in regions where welfare awareness is low.

  • Integrating welfare science with technology enhances aquatic animal welfare and farm efficiency, while reducing costs.

  • Resistance to change is a major barrier, as many farmers believe their current methods are sufficient.

  • Education and training are essential to improve welfare practices, particularly in regions with low awareness.

The Road Ahead

The key takeaway from the webinar was clear: animal welfare is not a luxury, it’s essential to the future of aquaculture. As the industry grows, aligning welfare with sustainability, profitability, and consumer expectations will drive its long-term success.

"Better fish welfare is a win-win-win: it has a positive impact on the fish, the farmer, and the consumer." – Genevieve Connors, The World Bank

The future of aquaculture depends on greater transparency, smarter investments, and incentives for farmers to implement welfare improvements. By embedding welfare into every stage of production - from farm to fork - we can create a more resilient, ethical, and sustainable global food system.

Watch the recording of the World Bank Webinar, here