Abstract
Fish are the most commonly cultivated vertebrates in the world. They respond to stress like other vertebrates, and they can feel pain, fear and suffering. These facts are the basis for considering their welfare. The question of formal protection of fish welfare is becoming more relevant with the significant development of aquaculture in the last few decades. However, fish welfare protection is encountering difficulties. Like many terrestrial farm animals, farmed fish are often subjected to poor living conditions and cruelty. Harvesting, transport, and stunning and killing are the most significant welfare issues. This review describes some of the most important procedures that compromise animal welfare during fish farming and the negative effects these procedures have on the fish. It also gives a brief overview of the situation in Serbia in terms of research into fish welfare, public attitudes on this issue, and the state of legislation. Data presented in this paper indicate the need for more effective protection of fish welfare in the legal and executive aspects.
Highlights
Fish have been hunted from the earliest prehistory and used in human nutrition as a valuable protein source
The breeding of fish was likely instigated by the increased needs of the growing human population for food of animal origin
After the 1990s, global aquaculture production increased remarkably, and it is still a continuously growing segment (FAO, 2020). It is the fastest-growing food sector worldwide, with about a hundred billion fish farmed per year
Summary
Fish have been hunted from the earliest prehistory and used in human nutrition as a valuable protein source. Industrial farming in fish, as in terrestrial animals, involves conditions that are not totally in line with the life needs of the animals and their welfare (Relić et al, 2010b). Many codes of practice have been adopted by the aquaculture industry, and they include measures that protect fish welfare (Ashley, 2007; EFSA, 2010). Renata RELIĆ and Zoran MARKOVIĆ: Farmed wish welfare for animal welfare, including particular recommendations for fish. In this context, the aquaculture-relevant animal welfare legislation is often not harmonized among European countries (Segner et al, 2019). According to Segner et al (2019), the main challenge in developing recommendations and regulations on the welfare of farmed fish is still related to limited scientific knowledge and practical experience, especially if the diversity of cultured species is taken into account. Harvesting, transportation and procedures related to stunning and killing n present the greatest challenge for fish welfare (Conte, 2004; EFSA, 2009; Relić., 2010; O de Castro et al, 2016; Masud et al, 2019)
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