Atlantic cod populations have collapsed dramatically due to overfishing, raising both conservation and welfare concerns for billions of individual fish.
The welfare implications of commercial cod fishing are profound. Trawl capture causes barotrauma as fish are rapidly hauled from depth, swim bladder rupture, scale loss, and exhaustion before death. Cod experience nociception and stress responses indicating capacity for suffering. Discarded bycatch dies slowly after air exposure. Stock collapse means surviving individuals experience altered population dynamics, prey availability changes, and novel predator pressures. Fish welfare remains poorly integrated into fisheries management despite growing scientific evidence of sentience.