Slaughter methods for farmed fish vary enormously by species and producer. Understanding which methods best minimize suffering informs both purchasing choices and policy advocacy.
Fish slaughter welfare varies dramatically by method, with implications for billions of animals annually. Ice slurry asphyxiation — the most common method in global aquaculture — causes the longest period of potential conscious suffering before death. Electrical stunning, when properly calibrated for species and size, produces instantaneous unconsciousness that eliminates conscious suffering. The alignment of welfare and product quality incentives — electrically stunned fish have better flesh quality — provides commercial motivation for welfare improvement that purely ethical arguments may not achieve in all markets. Regulatory slaughter standards for fish are developing but remain inconsistent globally.