The slaughter of farmed fish is a major welfare challenge affecting billions of animals annually, with significant variation in the humaneness of methods used across species and production systems.
Fish slaughter welfare is one of the largest unaddressed animal welfare problems in global food production. Billions of individual fish are killed annually using methods that cause significant distress before death. CO2 narcosis and asphyxiation — among the most widely used commercial methods — involve extended periods of consciousness during an aversive dying process. Percussive stunning and correctly calibrated electrical stunning achieve rapid unconsciousness but require investment and operator training. The welfare case for improved slaughter methods is clear from the scientific evidence on fish nociception and stress responses. Consumer and retailer pressure for welfare-at-slaughter certification creates the market signal needed to accelerate industry adoption of more humane methods.