Mackerel and other pelagic fish are caught in enormous numbers by commercial fishing. Their welfare during capture and death receives little attention but deserves consideration given growing evidence of fish sentience.
Wild-caught pelagic fish welfare represents the largest scale animal welfare issue by individual numbers — billions of fish are caught and killed annually, largely without any welfare consideration. The capture process causes crowding stress, net-related injuries, and prolonged death by asphyxiation for countless individual fish with demonstrated pain and stress responses. Practical welfare improvements for wild-capture fisheries include faster bulk-chilling methods that reduce time to death, reducing bycatch of non-target species, and avoiding the most aversive capture methods where alternatives exist. Consumer pressure for sustainable fisheries certification that includes welfare criteria is an emerging market lever for improvement.