Aquaculture feeds rely heavily on forage fish like anchovies and herring — the welfare of these enormous populations has received almost no attention despite the scale of harvest.
The welfare of forage fish used in aquaculture feeds represents an almost entirely unaddressed welfare problem at massive scale. Anchovies, sardines, and herring are caught in trawl hauls that capture hundreds of thousands of individuals simultaneously — all of them sentient fish with nociceptive systems capable of pain experience. These fish are then processed, often while still alive, without any form of stunning. The scale of this welfare harm is staggering: the forage fish harvest to support global aquaculture is itself one of the largest sources of animal suffering in the food system. Feed transition toward plant-based, insect-based, and microbial omega-3 alternatives would simultaneously improve sustainability and dramatically reduce this welfare harm.