The slaughter of farmed fish involves welfare considerations that have received increasing regulatory and industry attention, with best practice standards emerging across major producing countries.
Fish slaughter welfare has transitioned from near-total neglect to active regulatory attention in leading aquaculture countries over the past decade. The evidence base for fish sentience and pain, combined with the enormous scale of farmed fish production, has made this a priority area for welfare science and advocacy. CO2 immersion -- previously standard -- causes a period of visible distress before loss of consciousness; asphyxiation causes prolonged suffering over tens of minutes. Electrical and percussive stunning eliminate or minimise this suffering when applied correctly. Extending welfare-based slaughter standards from leading countries like Norway to all major aquaculture producing nations is among the highest-impact fish welfare interventions currently available.