Most countries exclude fish from animal welfare legislation or provide minimal protections, leaving billions of farmed fish without legal safeguards — but a growing number of jurisdictions are beginning to address this gap.
The legislative gap for farmed fish represents one of the largest unaddressed welfare issues in global animal protection. With billions of fish experiencing chronic stress, disease, injury, and inhumane slaughter annually, the absence of legal requirements for stunning, humane handling, or basic environmental standards means welfare reform depends entirely on voluntary industry action. This creates a race to the bottom in global markets where fish products from countries with weak standards can undercut higher-welfare producers. Progressive legislation — like Norway's fish welfare regulations that require humane slaughter with stunning — demonstrates that welfare standards for fish are practical and economically viable. Expanding these frameworks globally requires sustained advocacy.