Scientific research on fish welfare is advancing rapidly, challenging assumptions about fish consciousness and pain. These findings have major policy implications for aquaculture and fishing.
Fish welfare research has transformed scientific understanding of whether fish can suffer. Evidence from behavioural pharmacology, neuroanatomy, and cognitive science now supports that fish have the capacity for nociceptive and likely affective pain responses. This has profound implications for the treatment of billions of fish in aquaculture and wild-capture fisheries. Policy responses are beginning - the UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act now covers fish - but management practices have not yet caught up with the science in most sectors.