Humane Slaughter of Farmed Fish: Current Practices and Alternatives

The slaughter of farmed fish represents one of the largest animal welfare issues by number of animals affected, yet welfare standards lag far behind those for land animals.

Key Facts

Over 100 billion farmed fish are killed annually worldwide
Common slaughter methods include live chilling, CO2 exposure, and air asphyxiation
These methods are often slow and cause prolonged distress before unconsciousness
Percussive stunning and electrical stunning can render fish unconscious within seconds
The RSPCA and Humane Slaughter Association advocate for stunning before slaughter

Welfare Considerations

Fish slaughter without prior stunning causes the animal to experience the full duration of dying while conscious. Live chilling, the most common method for salmon, involves immersion in ice-water slurry; research suggests fish remain conscious and distressed for minutes to hours. Percussive stunning, if applied correctly, causes immediate unconsciousness and death. Electrical stunning systems for salmon now exist at commercial scale. The economic and technical barriers to adoption are real but not insurmountable.

What You Can Do

Choose fish products from producers using electric or percussive pre-slaughter stunning
Advocate for mandatory stunning requirements in national aquaculture welfare regulations
Support the Humane Slaughter Association and similar bodies working on fish slaughter
Reduce fish consumption from producers with documented poor slaughter practices