Worse things happen at sea: The welfare of wild-caught fish

Abstract

Fish are sentient beings that are capable of experiencing pain and fear, yet are often subjected to inhumane treatment during capture and slaughter. This report argues that wild-caught fish are frequently killed in ways that fail any standard of humane slaughter, such as being crushed in nets, snared for hours or days in gillnets, impaled on hooks as live bait, and left to die of suffocation, live dissection, or freezing. The report discusses different fishing methods and how they impact fish welfare, including trawling, purse seining, gill netting, longlining, trapping, rod and line fishing, trolling, and pole and line fishing. It argues that the number of fish caught annually is in the order of a trillion, making the suffering of wild-caught fish a major animal welfare issue. The report proposes measures to improve the welfare of fish during capture and slaughter, including reducing fishing effort, increasing the size of fish caught, using more selective fishing methods, reducing the use of live bait fish, and developing humane slaughter technologies for use on fishing vessels. – AI-generated abstract.