The Welfare of Fish

Citation

Turnbull J (2021) The Welfare of Fish. Review of: The Welfare of Fish. Edited by TS Kristiansen, A Ferno, MA Pavlidis and H van de Vis (2020). Springer Nature, Heidelberg. 532 pages (ISBN: 978-3030416744). Animal Welfare, 30 (2), pp. 229-230. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/ufaw/aw/2021/00000030/00000002/art00012#

Abstract
First paragraph: Fish welfare has lagged behind that of terrestrial animals, both in terms of understanding and management. There are many reasons for this, ranging from a fundamental lack of information through to a lack of empathy for animals that are hard to observe and have few behaviours we can easily relate to. The subject of fish welfare is an area that has substantial challenges but one that also presents opportunities for significant impact. There is compelling evidence that we should afford the welfare of fish some consideration. We are now coming to understand the capacity of some species for cognition, learning and consciousness and if that convinces us they are worthy of our concern then we have to consider truly astonishing numbers of animals. In 2010, it was estimated that between 37 and 120 billion farmed fish were slaughtered for human food (Lines & Spence 2014). More than half all vertebrate species are fish — an estimated 31,200 species — and individual farmed populations can number in the millions. Many of the challenges relate to the differences between fish and mammals and the diversity of fishes. One of the chapters in this book does an excellent job of describing the diversity in morphological and physiological adaptations, cognitive capacity and behavioural repertoires.

Journal
Animal Welfare: Volume 30, Issue 2