Farmed Aquatic Animal Welfare Across Ethics, Law, and Science

Aquaculture is now the fastest-growing food production sector globally, supplying more than half of the fish and seafood consumed worldwide. This rapid expansion has brought significant benefits for food security and employment, but it also raises concerns about the welfare of farmed aquatic animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates.Unlike terrestrial livestock, aquatic species often lack comprehensive welfare standards, consistent regulatory frameworks, and established ethical guidelines. Advances in behavioural research, welfare assessment tools, and humane farming and slaughter practices are beginning to address these gaps; however, practical implementation remains a challenge. Rising consumer awareness and ethical concerns underscore the need for welfare practices that are evidence-based, ethically informed, and legally sound. There is an urgent need to integrate scientific evidence, ethical reasoning, and legal frameworks to guide welfare improvements in aquaculture.This Research Topic offers a platform to explore these interdisciplinary challenges and opportunities, promoting welfare-conscious and evidence-based approaches to a global sustainable aquaculture. The rapid growth of global aquaculture raises urgent questions about the welfare of farmed aquatic animals. Farming practices, welfare standards, understanding of animal sentience, regulations, and ethical guidance remain inconsistent worldwide.We aim to address these gaps by fostering interdisciplinary research that brings together welfare, ethical, legal, and scientific perspectives, which highlights recent advances in behavioural and welfare assessment, humane farming and slaughter practices, and regulatory frameworks, while also considering the practical challenges faced by farmers and the expectations of consumers. Our goal is to promote evidence-based understanding that strengthens animal welfare, informs ethical perspectives, and supports policy development.We seek to encourage modern, sustainable aquaculture practices, improve the welfare of both vertebrate and invertebrate farmed species, and stimulate global dialogue for responsible and ethical aquatic animal production by inviting high-quality contributions exploring the ethical, legal, and scientific aspects of welfare in farmed aquatic animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates, submissions from a range of disciplinary and methodological perspectives, including empirical research, theoretical and philosophical analyses, policy and regulatory studies, and interdisciplinary work are encouraged.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:- Animal sentience and moral status- Humane farming and slaughter practices- Welfare regulation and enforcement capacity across regions- Ethical considerations- Legal frameworks- Welfare standards, certification, and audit systems- Farmers’ perspectives- Consumer expectations- Global ethical and legal challenges. Contributions should aim to advance animal welfare standards, address practical implementation, inform policy and practice, and stimulate critical discussion in the rapidly growing aquaculture sector. We encourage original research articles, reviews, perspectives, policy analyses, and short communications. Topic editors: Cecília De Souza, Eduardo Luís Cupertino Ballester Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77389/farmed-aquatic-animal-welfare-across-ethics-law-and-science