Carp are the most widely farmed fish globally, particularly in Asia — their welfare receives almost no attention despite the enormous scale of their production.
Carp welfare represents one of the largest unaddressed welfare gaps in global aquaculture. The sheer scale of carp production dwarfs that of salmon or trout — yet essentially no welfare standards govern how these fish are raised, transported, or killed. Live carp held in retail market tanks with inadequate oxygenation, crowded transport in minimal water, and live killing methods that are neither rapid nor humane are common in major producing countries. Addressing carp welfare requires developing species-specific standards from scratch, building on the growing evidence base for carp sentience, and engaging with the enormous and culturally diverse carp farming sector across Asia and Europe.