Humane slaughter of farmed fish requires effective stunning before killing. Advances in fish stunning technology are improving welfare outcomes across aquaculture species.
Fish slaughter welfare represents one of the largest unaddressed animal welfare issues by individual numbers, with billions of farmed fish killed annually using methods that cause significant suffering. The evidence base for fish sentience at slaughter is now strong enough that leading scientific bodies have concluded current practices cause unnecessary suffering. Effective stunning technology exists for major aquaculture species but adoption is inconsistent due to cost, equipment availability, and lack of regulatory mandates. Mandating effective stunning before killing for all farmed fish species would eliminate one of the largest sources of acute animal suffering in the global food system.