Farmed fish: welfare Indicators at Slaughter and consumer Health

The mammalian brain is predictive. If it assumes that similar predictive processing plays a key role in the fish brain, the available evidence suggests that fish have some kind of consciousness and experience subjective feelings. Fish can easily learn to associate various stimuli with resources and dangers. The capacity of fish to learn opens new ways to assess welfare. Killing farmed animals in an operation that may induce suffering to the animals even under the best available technical conditions. Moreover, fish have different physiological characteristics and are slaughtered differently from terrestrial animals. The use of commercially available methods exposes farmed fish to pain and suffering during slaughter, which could lead to acute stress and post-mortem changes in fish quality. In agreement with European laws and regulations, the precautionary approach of EC Regulation 178/2002 must be applied to improve fish welfare, particularly at slaughter. Specific protocols for fish are not provided in EC Regulation 1099/2009 on animal protection at killing. Detailed guidelines in the fish welfare assessment may allow the development of specific fish legislation. As welfare indicators, applying operational indicators and identifying practical measures at slaughter may improve fish welfare. Developing humane technologies might have important effects on fish quality, consumer perception and aquaculture economics.