Wild fish capture methods vary significantly in their welfare implications, from destructive trawling causing injury and stress to more selective line-caught methods.
Wild fish welfare during capture is largely unregulated and poorly monitored. Trawling causes multiple welfare harms from initial capture through to death including crowding in nets, pressure changes causing internal injury, and slow death from suffocation. More selective fishing methods including hook-and-line cause less welfare harm when fish are dispatched quickly. Consumer choice of welfare-conscious fishing methods supports market demand for better practices.