Sandeels are captured in huge quantities as aquafeed and reduction fisheries, with welfare implications for billions of fish and the seabirds and marine mammals that depend on them.
Sandeel welfare involves two interconnected concerns: the welfare of the fish themselves during industrial capture (crowding, hypoxia, crushing in nets and reduction to fishmeal), and the welfare of dependent predators when sandeel populations are depleted. Seabirds experiencing breeding failure due to sandeel shortages undergo significant physiological stress and chick starvation. The welfare harm extends through the food chain when industrial fishing removes critical prey from marine ecosystems.