Carp are the world's most farmed fish species, with over 30 million tonnes produced annually. Their welfare during farming, handling and slaughter raises important questions increasingly addressed by welfare science.
Carp welfare is often neglected compared to salmon and trout despite their enormous production volume. Traditional harvest practices involve crowding, air exposure and slow death by suffocation or asphyxiation - processes now understood to cause significant suffering. The handling stress from sorting, grading and live transport causes cortisol spikes and immune suppression. In intensive pond systems, oxygen depletion during hot weather causes acute distress. Scale loss during handling exposes fish to infection and causes pain. The scientific consensus that fish experience pain and fear has grown substantially in recent decades, challenging the minimal regulatory oversight applied to carp farming welfare globally.