Farmed Animal Welfare

Farmed Herring Welfare: Density, Stress, and Humane Slaughter

Herring are widely harvested for fishmeal and direct consumption, but welfare during farming, crowding, and slaughter remains poorly regulated and understudied.

Key Facts

Atlantic and Pacific herring are among the most abundant harvested marine fish globally
Most herring are caught wild for fishmeal rather than farmed, but aquaculture interest is growing
Herring are highly schooling fish with strong conspecific attraction behaviors
They are sensitive to acoustic disturbances, which disrupt schooling and cause stress
Herring have relatively simple nervous systems but neurobiological evidence supports pain sensitivity

Welfare Considerations

The sheer scale of herring harvesting — billions of individuals annually — makes welfare improvements particularly high-impact if achieved. Wild-caught herring often experience prolonged conscious death through suffocation or crushing. Research into rapid, humane slaughter methods applicable at industrial scale is urgently needed. Reducing fishmeal dependence also addresses the indirect welfare impact on herring used to feed other farmed animals.

What You Can Do

Reduce consumption of farmed salmon and other species that rely heavily on herring-based fishmeal
Support fisheries research into humane mass-slaughter methods for small pelagic fish
Advocate for inclusion of small pelagic fish in national animal welfare legislation