Abstract
Fish are the most exploited, forgotten and misunderstood animals on the planet. They also are extraordinary creatures: complex, intelligent, sensitive, curious, and some of them have amazing abilities. For instance; some use tools, have a good memory, or collaborate to hunt. And most importantly, they are sentient, and they feel pain. Aquaculture has become the main supplier of fish worldwide, accounting for just over half of the fish eaten by humans due to static global wild-capture stocks, which have been overfished for decades. Also, global consumption of fish has doubled since the early 1970s and will continue to grow with population growth in the developing world. However, the aquaculture industry has developed without proper consideration of the needs of the fish species farmed, and the welfare consequences for those animals. Moreover, the rapid growth of aquaculture has raises major sustainability concerns due to its continued reliance on wild-caught fish. Annually, 0.5-1.0 trillion fish are caught to be reduced to ingredients to feed farmed animals, mainly fish. When considering the negative environmental consequences of using wild-caught fish as feed, we must not overlook the huge animal welfare impact that represents for the huge number of animals involved. Compassion in World Farming is working to raise awareness about fish sentience and the welfare problems that aquaculture industry represents for fish welfare. The way that fish are treated is important and we must do it better.
Highlights
Fish are the most exploited, forgotten and misunderstood animals on the planet
Of the wild fish captured globally each year, 0.5 -1.0 trillion are caught to feed to farm animals2, mostly farmed fish. These wild fish will be reduced to fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) to produce ingredients for fish feeds. This has allowed the huge growth of intensive aquaculture over the past few decades, an industry that has developed without a proper understanding of the welfare needs of the fish species farmed
When considering the negative effects of fish farming, we should not overlook the hidden layer of animal welfare problems: the welfare of wild-caught fish destined for fish feed which fuels aquaculture32
Summary
There has been relatively little public concern regarding fish welfare, suggesting a lack of understanding and/or empathy for these animals. Teleost (bony) fish have the hardware for pain perception; they have the necessary receptors (nociceptors) and nerve fibres to detect painful events14 They respond to pain relief, e.g. morphine. Higher order cognitive processes such as attention or spatial awareness are significantly altered by the painful stimuli18 This demonstrates that fish respond to aversive events and they alter their subsequent behaviour. The deniers’ main claim is that fish cannot feel pain because they do not possess brain structures believed to be essential to conscious pain in mammals, regions of the neocortex and mesocortex. They state that fish show reflexive responses only, and that they are incapable of true cognitive abilities.
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