Sustainable fishing certifications increasingly consider fish welfare alongside environmental sustainability, recognizing that humane handling and killing improves both welfare and seafood quality.
Sustainable fishing and fish welfare are deeply connected: stressed fish produce lower quality flesh, and the same practices that improve welfare often improve product quality. Immediate killing by brain destruction eliminates the prolonged suffering of suffocation while producing better quality fish flesh. Ike jime and similar techniques, while requiring more skill, are increasingly adopted in premium markets. Reducing live holding time and improving water quality during handling reduces chronic stress. The alignment of welfare improvement with quality improvement creates economic incentives that sustainability-focused fisheries can leverage.