Aquaculture

Rudd Welfare in Angling and Ornamental Fish Trade

The common rudd is a popular angling and ornamental pond fish and its welfare in handling during fishing and transport is relevant to large numbers of fish across Europe.

Key Facts

Rudd are native to Europe and western Asia and popular in coarse angling and garden ponds
They are hardy and tolerate a wide range of water temperatures and quality conditions
Catch-and-release angling involves significant handling stress and potential injury if not done carefully
The ornamental trade moves large numbers of rudd for garden pond stocking across Europe

Welfare Considerations

Angling causes acute welfare impacts from hook injuries, exhaustion from fighting, and air exposure during handling and photographing. Scale loss during rough handling impairs osmoregulation and increases infection risk. Welfare best practice for catch-and-release includes using barbless hooks, minimising air exposure, supporting the fish in water during unhooking, and releasing fish with minimal handling.

What You Can Do

Use barbless hooks for catch-and-release fishing to minimise injury
Minimise fish handling time and keep fish in water as much as possible during unhooking
Wet hands before handling fish to protect their protective mucus coating
Support the development and use of fish handling best practice guides in angling education