Why I Care About How Fish Feel -- And You Will, Too

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This story starts with a VHS tape, to give you an idea how long ago it was. Once upon a time before YouTube, a student asked for cage-free eggs at his university dining hall. (I oversee the supply-chain policies for a food service company that partners with universities, corporations, and museums.) Like most people back then, I’d never heard of cage-free eggs. I needed to know more, so I called Josh Balk at the Humane Society of the United States, where he’s now vice president of farm animal protection. He mailed me a VHS tape showing how battery cages are used in the egg industry.

I admit, I didn’t believe chickens were worth caring about. “It’s not like they’re puppies,” I remember thinking. But after watching footage of hens living in barren battery cages, where they have only 67 square inches of space — less than a standard sheet of paper — to live out their lives, I cared. A lot. That tape launched me on an immediate quest to find cage-free eggs and transition the company’s entire supply chain, first to Certified Humane cage-free shell eggs that year, and eventually, pre-cracked (liquid) eggs, too. Other commitments followed.

Now I have my eye on a new animal-welfare issue: humane seafood, the importance of which may not seem totally clear to everyone at this point. Maybe you’ve seen these headlines: “Fish Depression is Not a Joke,” or “It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain.” Maybe your reaction was to smirk or roll your eyes. Or maybe your first thought was “Well, yeah, obviously.”

No matter what your reaction, scientists are building a case for the sentience of fish. While there are still some who deny that fish feel pain, there are enough who believe they do to convince me this is an issue worth pursuing — even without a video to watch.

A stunning development

In the U.K., the issue of humane seafood has already taken hold in the consumer market. Supermarket chains including Tesco, Waitrose and others have created policies on the humane treatment of farmed and, in some cases, wild-caught fish. In the U.S., the issue is still rising to the surface of public consciousness. There is no widely accepted humane seafood certification at this time, though multiple non-government organizations are working on policies and certifications that will better advocate for finned creatures.

I recently spoke to Lewis Bollard of the Open Philanthropy Project, a research and grant-making group, that has funded several projects to study fish welfare. He said the easiest way for us to start improving the treatment of fish in our food supply is to pay attention to how they die. Morbid, I know, but he has a point. Aquaculture operations have begun using stunning methods — typically percussive stunning or electrical shock — to render fish unconscious before slaughter, which is thought to reduce pain and anxiety for the fish. While stunning is primarily used on salmon and trout farms right now, there’s potential for it to be used for other species.

Other areas of concern for fish welfare include stocking densities in aquaculture. In addition to a whole host of environmental problems caused by packing too many fish into a net pen or pond, some species require more space for their well-being. Interestingly, others prefer dense schooling. Also being identified are best practices for the handling of farm-raised fish: for example, the fewer times a fish is touched by humans, the better.

Some fishermen are already making changes. There’s now a fishing vessel called Blue North that has adopted stunning technology for its wild-caught cod business. The cod are caught one at a time on hooks, then brought through a moon pool in the bottom of the boat, immediately stunned, and then slaughtered. A bonus of using this technology on fishing vessels is that it can also be better for workers, allowing them to work below deck away from fierce weather and waves. On land, better for animals often translates to better for workers, too. I’ve heard this from pig farmers who have gotten rid of gestation crates and chicken producers who have let natural light into the barns, which is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about animal care practices.

Start fishing for information

As I see it, companies like ours have a choice. We can choose to wait until the industry comes to a consensus, or until consumers demand better treatment of fish. Or, people like me can get to work , and that’s what I’m doing.

There aren’t any perfect answers or certifications yet, but we can start by urging the suppliers we work with to seek out boats that use humane stunning methods. (We’re already setting up meetings and tastings with Blue North so our chefs can learn about their wild cod.) I’ll also keep talking to experts in the field of humane treatment to see what other good practices are emerging and suggest producers we work with implement those, too.

Just as was the case with laying hens, I never thought I’d care about how fish are feeling. But I do. And I predict others will too, so let’s start doing something about it.

Although there are currently no labels for consumers to look for in the marketplace, I expect some to emerge in the next few years. In the meantime, if you care about this issue and want to know more, Tim Carman just covered fish pain in depth for the Washington Post, and Lewis Bollard’s piece about humane treatment of fish is another great place to start. Next, Jonathan Balcombe’s book What A Fish Knows is a deep dive into how science is revealing new information about fish intelligence and behavior.

For my colleagues in the food business, we all have an opportunity to take action. Check out the policies created by UK supermarket chains like Tesco, Waitrose, and Marks & Spencer and read the recommendations of the RSPCA. Start asking your seafood suppliers to look into the humane treatment of the fish they’re buying for you, and consider telling them you want product from operations that are using pre-slaughter stunning methods. Let the seafood industry know — and any animal welfare groups you already work with — that this is an issue of concern for you and your business.

This is how change begins: with small steps that, if enough people and businesses take them together, become a leap forward.

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