Common carp is the most farmed fish species by volume globally, yet welfare standards for carp aquaculture are almost entirely absent. Research confirms that carp are sentient animals requiring meaningful welfare consideration.
Carp welfare is poorly served by their position as a commodity species in markets where individual fish welfare is rarely considered. Evidence of carp sentience has accumulated substantially: they show nociceptor activation, cortisol responses to pain, and learned fear — the same indicators that have driven welfare improvements for salmon and trout. Traditional live sale practices — where carp are sold alive and transported home in bags of water, then killed by the consumer — impose prolonged welfare costs from crowding, low oxygen, and often non-stunning killing methods. Even basic improvements — CO2 narcosis or percussive stunning before slaughter, maximum stocking density regulations, and minimum water quality standards — would represent enormous improvements given the scale of carp production.