ON WORLD ANIMAL DAY: “LESS SUFFERING IN FISHERIES”

On World Animal Day: “Less suffering in fisheries.” In agriculture, farm animal welfare has long been an issue. In aquaculture, efforts are also increasing to promote fish welfare. But when it comes to fisheries, the suffering of animals has hardly been a public issue so far. An international project of five organisations wants to change this and show how the suffering in fishing can be reduced.

On the occasion of World Animal Day, the international consortium Carefish/catch announces a research project that for the first time comprehensively addresses animal welfare in fisheries. The project to promote better fishing practices will assess the impact of different fishing methods on fishes and propose measures to reduce stress and suffering of fishes.

Increasing demand for animal welfare

Animal welfare is a growing concern for people who consume animal protein. They want to ensure that animals live in the best conditions and are slaughtered in the most humane way possible. This concern has been an issue in agricultural animal husbandry for decades. Numerous studies have led to guidelines and measures for better animal husbandry. In recent years, aquaculture has also begun to review and improve its impact on fish welfare. More and more people are becoming aware that fish are sentient beings. Only in fisheries so far, animal welfare is hardly an issue, neither in the public debate nor in the minds of the people who buy fish. But a growing number of researchers, policy makers, and stakeholders are pushing for animal welfare in fisheries to be thoroughly researched and taken into account in sustainable fishing guidelines.

Until about twenty years ago, the prevailing view was that fishes could not feel pain; their welfare was therefore largely neglected. However, science has shown that fishes can experience not only pain, but also stress and emotions such as fear, panic or even pleasure. Aquaculture is constantly improving its practices to reduce stress and suffering, which also improves product quality. But how can similar measures be implemented in fisheries?

International consortium pools research

For the first time, a multi-year research project is seriously dedicated to reducing animal suffering in fisheries: the “Carefish/catch to promote better fisheries standards” project, led by fair-fish International (Switzerland) in collaboration with the Fish Ethology and Welfare Group (Portugal), the Centre for Marine Sciences CCMAR (Portugal), the Friend of the Sea label (Italy) and the DeMoS Institute (France). The consortium combines knowledge and experience of its members from previous fish welfare projects.

The project team will assess the different impacts of fisheries on animal welfare and explore the potential for reducing animal suffering in different fishing methods and for different fish species. Based on these scientific findings, Carefish/catch will develop guidelines for the Friend of the Sea (FOS) label. FOS certifies sustainable fishing practices around the world and becomes the first fisheries standard that also takes into account criteria to reduce animal suffering in fisheries. At the same time, with its inclusive approach, the research project will also involve fishermen, marketers and other stakeholders to assess the economic and social dimensions of animal welfare in fisheries.

At the end of June, the Carefish/catch project was presented to an international audience of experts. The initial results showed that animal welfare in fisheries is severely compromised, with varying duration and intensity of suffering depending on the fishing method and fish species. In addition to research and an open access database, the project will also hold meetings with relevant stakeholders and use public relations work to make animal welfare in fisheries an issue, not least as a purchasing aid for consumers and the trade. The project will take until 2025.