Sprat and Forage Fish Welfare in Capture Fisheries

Billions of sprat and other forage fish are caught annually for fishmeal and fish oil. Their welfare during capture and processing is largely unconsidered but represents enormous scale of potential suffering.

Key Facts

Forage fish including sprat, sandeels, and anchovies are caught in volumes exceeding 20 million tonnes annually
Purse seine capture concentrates fish in increasingly dense schools as the net closes
Fish experience hypoxia, barotrauma, and crushing in densely packed nets
Most forage fish are processed alive without pre-slaughter stunning
They are used primarily for aquafeed and livestock feed rather than direct human consumption

Welfare Considerations

The welfare implications of forage fish capture are enormous in scale. Billions of individual fish experience suffering from net capture, hypoxia in dense schools, and processing without stunning. Even if individual fish sentience is considered lower than salmonids, the sheer numbers involved make this one of the most significant welfare issues in the global food system. Reducing fishmeal use in aquafeeds through plant-based and single-cell protein alternatives reduces the demand driving forage fish harvest.

What You Can Do

Choose aquaculture products from operations reducing fishmeal dependence
Support research into plant-based and single-cell protein alternatives to fishmeal
Advocate for welfare consideration in forage fish capture fisheries management
Donate to organisations working on reducing fishfeed dependency in aquaculture