The slaughter of farmed fish involves welfare harms that dwarf land animal slaughter in scale, yet receives far less regulatory attention and public scrutiny.
Fish slaughter welfare represents one of the largest unaddressed sources of preventable animal suffering in the food system. The scale is staggering — tens of billions of fish dying each year by methods that cause prolonged suffering: slow asphyxiation, ice bath chilling while conscious, and CO2 stunning that is itself aversive. The scientific understanding of fish sentience has advanced enormously but regulatory frameworks have not kept pace, leaving fish without meaningful protection during slaughter.