Common carp are the most produced farmed fish globally by volume, yet receive almost no welfare consideration despite evidence of stress responses and pain capacity.
Carp welfare represents perhaps the largest welfare oversight in global aquaculture. As the most produced farmed fish by volume, affecting tens of billions of individuals annually, the near-total absence of welfare standards and research for this species is striking. Handling causes scale loss that increases infection risk and discomfort. Crowding triggers measurable stress responses. Extended winter fasting in some production systems causes prolonged nutritional stress. At slaughter, carp are typically killed without effective stunning. The scale of production combined with the near-total absence of welfare consideration makes carp farming a priority area for welfare advocacy.