Rainbow smelts are harvested in large quantities through ice fishing and trap nets in North American freshwater systems, with welfare considerations around mass capture and freezing methods.
Rainbow smelt welfare in ice fishing and trap net harvest involves acute cold stress, crowding, and air exposure. Ice fishing through small holes concentrates fish near the surface where they experience cold air temperatures and handling stress. Trap net fisheries harvest thousands of fish simultaneously into crowded collection areas. The small size of smelts makes individual attention impractical at scale. Rapid transfer to ice slurry immediately on capture reduces suffering duration compared to prolonged air exposure in cold conditions. The welfare evidence base for small schooling fish like smelts is less developed than for larger species but warrants precautionary welfare consideration.