Billions of non-target fish species are discarded annually as bycatch in global fisheries. This underreported welfare problem warrants greater attention from welfare and conservation advocates.
Wild fish bycatch represents arguably the largest unreported welfare harm in global food systems. The billions of fish killed as non-target catch die in nets, on longlines, or after deck discard — processes that involve extended periods of capture stress, hypoxia, physical injury, and death. As sentient animals whose capacity for suffering has been increasingly recognized by science and policy, fish bycatch deaths warrant welfare consideration equivalent to equivalent numbers of land animals. The welfare response requires both reduction in bycatch rates through gear modification and fisheries management, and improvement in how unavoidable bycatch is handled — reducing air exposure time, rapid return of live animals, and avoiding species-specific capture methods that disproportionately harm non-target species. Consumer demand for certified low-bycatch seafood is a market mechanism for welfare improvement.