Post-slaughter handling of fish including immediate chilling and proper stunning confirmation is important for both product quality and ensuring fish are not conscious during processing.
Post-slaughter fish welfare concerns the period between incapacitation and brain death, during which consciousness may persist. Fish killed by methods that do not immediately destroy brain function may continue to experience sensations during processing. Spiking (manual destruction of the brain through the skull) immediately following stunning ensures brain death and eliminates the possibility of post-stun recovery. While this adds a handling step, it provides certainty about welfare that unstunned or stun-only methods cannot. The welfare-protective approach to fish killing combines reliable stunning with immediate brain destruction.