Aquaculture

Commercial Fish Killing Welfare

Methods used to kill farmed fish at the end of production vary widely in humaneness, with best practices achieving rapid unconsciousness.

Key Facts

Percussion stunning immediately renders fish unconscious before bleeding
CO2 stunning causes significant distress before loss of consciousness
Ice-water immersion is slow and inadequate as a killing method
Electrical stunning is effective for some species when correctly applied

Welfare Considerations

Fish killed without pre-stunning by ice slurry immersion remain conscious for minutes while experiencing temperature shock and asphyxiation. CO2 stunning causes a prolonged aversion response before unconsciousness. Percussion and electrical stunning applied correctly cause rapid, reliable unconsciousness before killing. The welfare gap between best and worst commercial practice is substantial, affecting millions of fish daily.

What You Can Do

Choose fish certified to standards requiring pre-slaughter stunning
Advocate for mandatory stunning requirements in aquaculture regulations
Support research into most humane stunning methods for different species
Back certification schemes that include verified slaughter welfare standards