Billions of farmed fish are slaughtered each year without effective stunning, making fish slaughter one of the largest sources of unaddressed animal suffering in food systems.
Fish consciousness research has progressed significantly, with evidence supporting that many fish species experience pain and aversive states. Slaughter without prior effective stunning causes prolonged suffering as fish die slowly by asphyxiation or ice. Electrical pre-stunning systems are available for salmonids and are increasingly required by high-welfare certification standards.