Sand Goby and Baitfish Welfare: Collection and Use in Recreational Fishing
Small fish including gobies, bleak, and roach are collected and kept alive as bait for predator fishing across Europe, with welfare considerations around collection methods, live holding, and use as live bait.
Key Facts
Live baitfish are widely used in recreational fishing for pike, perch, and zander across Europe
Collection methods include dipnet, trap, and seine netting — all causing acute capture stress
Live baitfish are kept in bait buckets with aeration — conditions that may be inadequate for extended holding
Using live fish as bait is prohibited in some EU member states on animal welfare grounds
Welfare Considerations
Fish used as live bait experience impalement on hooks through body or lip — a procedure causing pain responses in conscious fish. Fish that escape predator strikes but remain hooked experience prolonged suffering. Baitfish held in cramped bait buckets with inadequate water quality experience hypoxic stress. The scientific consensus on fish pain and consciousness makes the live baiting practice ethically problematic. Dead or artificial bait alternatives achieve comparable fishing success without the welfare costs of live fish use.
What You Can Do
Use dead baitfish, artificial lures, or other alternatives to live fish as bait where possible
Advocate for live baitfish welfare standards in recreational fishing regulations
Follow local regulations on live baitfish use — some jurisdictions prohibit the practice
Support research into artificial lure effectiveness as an evidence base for live bait replacement