Compassion in World Farming has called for further fish welfare legislation, after a new study revealed a huge increase in global farmed fish numbers.
The study, published in the Animal Welfare journal, revealed that the number of farmed fish slaughtered globally had risen dramatically over the past 12 years – from 61 billion fish in 2007 to 124 billion in 2019.
CIWF said the number of fish farmed was likely to be even higher because many died during rearing.
The animal welfare charity added that the study also highlighted that most farmed fish (70%-72%) had no legal protection and less than 1% globally had any species-specific legal protection at slaughter.
“This new study reveals a massive increase in the number of farmed fish slaughtered over a 30-year period and highlights the urgent need for legislation to protect their welfare,” said Phil Brooke, co-author of the report.
“Fish welfare legislation is now urgently needed across the world to ensure all fish farmed have lives worth living and experience a humane death,” Brooke added. “We call on the EU and other legislative bodies to introduce new welfare laws at the earliest possible opportunity.”
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It comes as NGO Animal Equality claimed that 2.8 million farmed salmon died prematurely on-farm in Scotland last September, meaning the likely total deaths per year was over 20 million.
Drone filming of Meall Mhor, Loch Fyne, in Scotland, a site operated by Bakkafrost, showed buckets of dead salmon being collected in a process known as “lift up”.
This followed a September Fish Health Inspectorate probe revealing over 16,000 salmon died at the site during a two-week period. The same site was investigated in April 2021, where footage showed fish suffering from untreated injuries and deformities swimming in filthy waters.
In Bakkafrost’s 2021 sustainability report, the company reported a 78.3% survival rate at its Scottish operations. Across certain sites in 2022, the supplier reported cumulative death rates of 80.2%, 57.7%, 42.3% and 39.1%.
One site, Druimeyon Bay, reported 82.1% cumulative mortality rate, with four in five fish not making it to the abattoir.
“The aquaculture industry has the audacity to boast of its fish ‘survival rates’, as though it is somehow acceptable for millions of individual fish to die each year from violent lice treatments or rough weather conditions,” said Animal Equality UK executive director Abigail Penny.
In a report by activist group Scalmon Scotland, the Scottish aquaculture industry averaged a 22% cumulative mortality rate, with one in every five salmon or trout not reaching the slaughterhouse from January to July 2022.
However, this number was not recognised by the similarly-named industry body Salmon Scotland, which said the mortality rate was far lower, with a survival rate of about 85% compared to wild Atlantic salmon, which only survived at a rate of 1% to 2%.
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“Data we voluntarily publish shows survival of farm-raised salmon was consistently high during 2022 until September, when jellyfish blooms reduced survival to 95.3% that month; 2.4 points down on the past four-year average of 97.7%,” said Tavish Scott, CEO of Salmon Scotland.
Other producers averaging high mortality rates included Wester Ross Fisheries, Loch Duart, Mowi Scotland and Scottish Sea Farms.
According to Animal Equality, fish die prematurely on farms for a variety of reasons including violent handling or transportation, rough lice treatments, “treatment losses” resulting from chemical mistakes or human error, algal blooms, infections or infectious diseases, severe weather conditions, stress or predation.
“Viewed as little more than numbers on a page, these animals suffer such a miserable existence that many don’t even make it to the slaughterhouse,” added Penny. “Those who do make it suffer an equally terrifying fate, since the minimal and ambiguous laws currently in place do little to guarantee meaningful protection for these animals in their final moments.”
Scott said: “The Scottish salmon sector already meets the highest global environmental and welfare standards. Our members are world-leading in rearing the finest salmon which the country can be proud of.
“Scottish aquaculture is already one of the most highly regulated sectors in Scotland and our farmers use a range of independent, third-party certifying bodies to challenge themselves to go further.”
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