Stonefish and Venomous Fish Welfare in Aquaculture

Some venomous fish species including stonefish and scorpionfish are cultured in Asia. Their welfare and the welfare implications of venom removal require consideration.

Key Facts

Stonefish are farmed in China and parts of Southeast Asia as luxury seafood
Their venomous spines are either left intact with handling risk or removed at collection
Venom removal is performed without anaesthetic in most facilities
They are extremely sedentary ambush predators ill-suited to active swimming requirements of some systems
Their cryptic behaviour means welfare indicators based on activity level are difficult to interpret

Welfare Considerations

Stonefish welfare in aquaculture faces specific challenges from their unusual biology. As sedentary ambush predators, they have different welfare needs from active schooling species. Spine removal without anaesthetic causes acute pain and removes a primary defensive mechanism. Their capacity for pain is evidenced by the extreme pain their stings cause in humans. Tank conditions replicating substrate availability for resting and camouflage behaviour would be expected to reduce stress. Developing welfare standards requires species-specific knowledge of their natural behaviour.

What You Can Do

Support research into welfare indicators for unusual and sedentary farmed fish species
Advocate for anaesthetic use during invasive procedures on farmed fish including spine removal
Ask retailers about sourcing of stonefish and scorpionfish and welfare standards
Choose conventional farmed fish species with established welfare standards where possible