Tilapia is the most widely farmed fish globally, but humane slaughter is rarely practised, with ice slurry and asphyxiation causing prolonged suffering in this sentient species.
Tilapia slaughter without prior stunning causes prolonged suffering through the slow loss of consciousness in ice slurry or the distressing experience of asphyxiation in air. The scale of tilapia production means this represents one of the largest preventable welfare harms in global food production. Percussion stunning using a firm blow to the head causes immediate unconsciousness at no additional cost, and is practised by some producers with demonstrably better welfare outcomes. Electrical stunning systems are available for high-throughput facilities. The welfare case for mandatory pre-slaughter stunning in tilapia is strong and grows stronger as fish sentience evidence accumulates.