Freshwater Fish Welfare: Rivers, Lakes, and Angling

Freshwater fish are the most diverse vertebrate group but receive little welfare attention. Angling practices and habitat quality both significantly affect their welfare.

Key Facts

There are approximately 13,000 freshwater fish species globally — more than all other vertebrate species combined.
Freshwater biodiversity is under severe pressure from habitat degradation, water abstraction, pollution, and invasive species.
Angling (recreational fishing) is practiced by an estimated 700 million people globally, making it one of the most widespread wildlife interactions.
Evidence consistently shows that fish experience pain-related stress following hooking; the debate is about the intensity and phenomenological character of that experience.
Catch-and-release angling involves physiological stress from hooking, handling, and air exposure that can cause delayed mortality.
Barbless hooks, wet hands when handling, and minimised air exposure reduce catch-and-release welfare impacts.
Coarse fishing in the UK largely practices catch-and-release; fly fishing typically practices catch-and-release for trout and salmon.
Pollution from agriculture, industry, and sewage discharge causes physiological stress, reduced immune function, and mortality in freshwater fish.

Welfare Considerations

Freshwater fish welfare operates at two scales: the individual welfare of fish during angling interactions, and the population-level welfare implications of habitat quality. At the individual level, the evidence for fish pain experience means that minimising suffering during catch-and-release angling is a meaningful welfare goal achievable through simple technique modifications. At the population level, the most significant welfare intervention is habitat protection and restoration: clean water, appropriate flows, and connected river systems support healthy fish populations that can express natural behaviour. The intersection of fishing culture and welfare science is often contentious, but evidence-based best practice for catch-and-release angling, grounded in respect for fish welfare, is increasingly adopted by responsible anglers.

What You Can Do

Use barbless hooks when angling to reduce injury and handling time.
Keep fish in the water wherever possible; minimise air exposure when handling.
Wet your hands before handling fish to protect their protective mucus layer.
Support water quality improvement campaigns that benefit freshwater fish habitats.
Advocate for effective enforcement of pollution controls that affect rivers and lakes.
Engage with the evidence on fish welfare and apply it thoughtfully to fishing practices.