Fish Welfare Certification Progress

The state of fish welfare inclusion in aquaculture certification and the road ahead.

Key Facts

Fish welfare in certification has lagged behind environmental sustainability criteria for decades
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council introduced fish welfare criteria into its standards in recent years
Salmon and trout welfare criteria are more developed than those for other farmed species
Behavioral indicators such as fin damage scoring are increasingly included in audit protocols
Pre-slaughter stunning requirements are among the most significant welfare criteria being introduced
Consumer demand for genuinely welfare-certified fish products is growing but supply remains limited

Welfare Considerations

Fish welfare certification is a field in active development, with meaningful progress in recent years but significant gaps remaining. The most impactful welfare criteria being introduced — pre-slaughter stunning requirements, stocking density limits, and health monitoring — address genuine suffering at scale. However, coverage is uneven across species, and audit practices for welfare criteria are less rigorous than those for environmental indicators. The most welfare-positive purchasing decision remains choosing fish from certified operations while advocating for stronger, better-enforced welfare criteria within the certification systems themselves.

What You Can Do

Choose farmed fish from operations with the most comprehensive welfare certification available
Engage with certification bodies about the adequacy of their fish welfare criteria and audit practices
Support organizations developing and advocating for stronger fish welfare standards in global certification
Ask retailers about the welfare criteria they apply to their farmed fish sourcing decisions
Raise awareness of fish welfare certification as an evolving and imperfect but important tool for improvement