Wild-captured fish represent the largest number of individual animals killed for human consumption annually, with welfare during capture, holding, and killing receiving minimal regulatory attention.
The welfare of wild-captured fish — the largest scale interaction between humans and sentient animals — receives virtually no regulatory attention globally. Fish caught in trawls, purse seines, and longlines experience prolonged distress before death by methods that would be illegal for any regulated livestock species. The mismatch between scientific understanding of fish sentience and actual welfare practice is enormous.