Sprat: Welfare in Pelagic Trawl Fisheries and Industrial Processing

Sprats are small pelagic fish caught in enormous quantities for fishmeal, fish oil, and human consumption, with welfare considerations across their capture and processing methods.

Key Facts

European sprat catch exceeds 300,000 tonnes annually, primarily in the North Sea and Baltic
They are caught primarily by purse seine and pelagic trawl, often for reduction to fishmeal
Sprat are major prey items for larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals
Processing often involves pumping fish alive from vessels into factories without pre-slaughter stunning
As small social fish with schooling behavior, they are likely to experience stress during crowding

Welfare Considerations

Sprat welfare during pelagic capture involves the extreme crowding of fish in purse seine nets and trawls before pumping aboard. The compression of schooling fish in the net causes crushing injuries and oxygen depletion as fish respiration removes oxygen from enclosed water. Pumping live fish aboard processing vessels involves passage through mechanical equipment that causes physical injury. Processing without pre-slaughter stunning means fish are slaughtered by methods including crushing and asphyxiation that cause pain. The enormous scale of sprat fisheries means the aggregate welfare impact is significant, despite the small size of individual fish.

What You Can Do

Support research into rapid humane slaughter methods applicable to small pelagic fish at industrial scale
Advocate for welfare standards to be included in pelagic fisheries management beyond just stock sustainability
Engage with fishmeal manufacturers about welfare standards in their small pelagic raw material supply
Support alternative protein source development that reduces demand for industrially captured small pelagic fish
Raise awareness that fish welfare applies to small industrial fisheries as well as high-value species