While sturgeon aquaculture plays a central role in caviar production globally, the welfare of these long-lived, late-maturing fish remains poorly understood. Amid increasing public and regulatory attention on animal welfare, the industry faces growing scrutiny — particularly regarding traditional versus “no-kill” harvesting methods. This study aims to provide the first qualitative snapshot of welfare-related perceptions, practices and concerns within the European sturgeon farming sector.

Through in-depth interviews with 20 stakeholders — including producers, veterinarians, researchers, and hatchery managers — we explored current husbandry methods, attitudes towards fish welfare and views on the feasibility of ethical improvement. Our findings highlight wide variability in both practices and awareness, as well as strong interest in identifying measurable indicators of good welfare. While many respondents associated no-kill methods with higher welfare potential, concerns were raised about technical challenges, reliability and market acceptance.

Participants expressed openness to external guidance but emphasised the need for species-specific protocols and the importance of producer-led solutions. Several reported perceived links between improved welfare and product quality, though empirical evidence was limited. A tension emerged between economic drivers and moral obligations, underscoring the complexity of improving welfare in this high-value, low-volume sector.

These insights will inform the next phase of our work: the co-development of a practical, credible framework for assessing sturgeon welfare. We propose that transparent, stakeholder-informed approaches can help safeguard fish welfare while supporting responsible aquaculture development in this sensitive sector.