The scientific evidence for pain experience in fish and other aquatic animals has strengthened considerably, with important implications for fishing, aquaculture, and how we think about these animals.
The evidence for aquatic animal pain has reached a point where continued default treatment of fish and invertebrates as non-sentient is scientifically unjustified. The practical welfare implications are vast given the billions of fish killed annually in fishing and aquaculture. Recreational fishing practices like catch-and-release, which cause hook penetration and prolonged air exposure, cause measurable physiological stress. Commercial fishing methods including suffocation in air, crushing, and live chilling cause suffering in fish whose sentience is no longer seriously disputed. The welfare gap between what science tells us and how these animals are treated at scale is enormous. Regulatory change is occurring but slowly; consumer awareness and industry responsibility are the more immediate levers for change.