Aquatic Animal Welfare

Bycatch: Welfare of Discarded Non-Target Fish

Commercial fishing bycatch kills billions of non-target animals annually, most dying without any welfare consideration in the dash back to the sea.

Key Facts

Global bycatch is estimated at 40% of total catch or approximately 38 million tonnes annually
Bycatch includes fish, sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds, and sharks
Discarded bycatch dies through barotrauma, suffocation, or injury from fishing gear
Some fisheries have bycatch rates that dwarf their target species catch
Selective fishing gear and modified trawl designs can significantly reduce bycatch

Welfare Considerations

Bycatch represents one of the largest categories of unintended animal welfare harm in the food system. Animals captured as bycatch experience the full range of fishing welfare harms before being discarded. Fisheries improvement through selective gear, modified trawl designs, and area closures reduces bycatch volumes. Consumer choices that support certified sustainable fisheries with low bycatch create market incentives for improvement.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by MSC or equivalent schemes with bycatch monitoring
Support campaigns for selective fishing gear requirements
Advocate for discard bans that incentivize bycatch reduction rather than concealment
Reduce seafood consumption from fisheries with documented high bycatch rates