Looking Beneath the Surface - Fish Welfare in European Aquaculture (Eurogroup for Animals)

This report contains an executive summary. As requested, it has been reproduced exactly below.

Executive summary

Fish represent over 60% of all known vertebrate species on Earth. As sentient species they have the capacity to suffer, including the ability to experience pain. Fish are one of the most populous and diverse animal groups on the planet and, importantly, the most exploited for human use and consumption. Despite this, the welfare of fish has remained a relatively unexplored concept, in both scientific terms and in public and political spheres. The fact that their living environment is innately hostile to humans distances fish from us and makes them difficult to observe. Historically, very little was known about fish behaviours, and it was widely believed that they did not have the capacity to feel pain. This perhaps goes some way towards explaining the historic lack of concern for fish welfare. With the publication of groundbreaking work by researchers in 2003 proving categorically that fish can and do suffer, the debate surrounding the extent to which they require legal protection has gained momentum.

This report provides an overview of the extent to which fish welfare might be impacted within the aquaculture industry, by describing the main processes of fish farming and their associated welfare implications. The report then outlines how these welfare issues can be addressed, by considering the current regulatory framework in relation to the welfare of farmed fish, including a critique of the Commission's 2017 report and recommendations. Finally, this report sets out some recommendations for formal remedial action. Eurogroup for Animals believes that swift action is vital if fish are to be protected from further harm; application of the recommendations in this report would significantly improve the welfare of fish in the aquaculture industry.

¹ Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes.

While legislation on the protection of animal welfare is increasingly implemented in countries around the world, fish have remained largely ignored and are, at times, expressly excluded from the legal protections afforded to mammals, birds and other vertebrates¹. The few pieces of legislation that apply to fish welfare are insufficient in their scope, poorly implemented and poorly enforced.

In 2017, the European Commission published a report on the welfare of fish during transport and at the time of slaughter in European aquaculture. The report showed systematic weaknesses in aquaculture processes, which undoubtedly had a negative impact on fish welfare. However, rather than recommend formal remedial action, the Commission stated its confidence in the industry itself to address the issues and make the necessary welfare improvements. Eurogroup for Animals strongly opposes this view and believes that there is no evidence to support the idea that the industry is moving to standardise welfare practices at slaughter.

If legal protection of fish welfare is to have any meaningful application, a proper understanding of aquaculture is necessary. It is important to recognise that fish in farms will likely spend their entire lives in captivity, thus the potential welfare impact of aquaculture practices is not limited to end-of-life capture and slaughter. Welfare concerns extend across the entire lifecycle of the fish, including housing, transport, handling, health and monitoring systems.