Aquatic Animals

Scale of Fish Slaughter and Welfare Implications

Between 1 and 2.7 trillion fish are caught and killed annually; the sheer scale makes fish welfare improvements among the most impactful available.

Key Facts

1-2.7 trillion fish are killed annually in wild capture fisheries
40-120 billion farmed fish are slaughtered annually
Fish number estimates have larger uncertainty than any other food animal category
Welfare improvements applied at scale affect more individuals than almost any other intervention

Welfare Considerations

The scale of fish use in human food systems dwarfs all other animal categories combined. Even if individual fish experience less suffering than individual mammals, the arithmetic of scale means that any welfare improvement applied to fish production reaches more animals than equivalent improvements in any other sector. Fish welfare is a uniquely high-leverage target for welfare improvement investment.

What You Can Do

Prioritize fish welfare as a high-leverage welfare concern
Support organizations focused specifically on improving fish welfare
Reduce fish consumption as a high-scale welfare action
Advocate for fish welfare standards in aquaculture as an urgent priority