Common carp and related species are among the most-farmed fish globally, yet receive almost no welfare research or regulatory attention.
Carp welfare sits between two very different production realities. Extensive European pond farming often provides conditions close to natural for most of a carp's life — relatively low density, natural food, varied environment. This contrasts sharply with the Christmas carp tradition of home slaughter: live fish kept in bathtubs for days, then killed by striking or by cutting without stunning. This is a significant welfare harm that simple education and provision of stunning tools could dramatically reduce. As carp welfare science develops, the extensive pond farming model may represent a more sustainable welfare baseline than intensive aquaculture for other species.