Fish Welfare

UK public backs calls for stronger fish welfare laws

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A recent poll shows appetite for new legislation to protect fishes at slaughter.

A salmon swims through dark blue water.

In the UK, fishes are farmed in huge numbers but don’t receive the same protections as other farmed animals. Following the launch of our Forgotten Fish Campaign, we conducted a YouGov poll to see what the public thinks about fishes’ ability to feel pain, their welfare and whether they should have stronger legislation. This is what we found...

Of 2173 adults surveyed…

  • 67% agreed that fishes feel pain, with only 8% responding that they believe they can’t. A quarter of respondents answered that they didn’t know.
  • 67%1 of respondents who buy fish agreed that fish welfare was important to them.
  • When told that there are detailed legal requirements for how to slaughter pigs, chickens and cows more humanely, but no similar guidance for farmed fishes, 71% agreed fish should have the same legal protections.
  • After being told that the fish farming industry sets its own standards regarding humane slaughter, only 28% of people agreed that the fish farming industry could be trusted to regulate itself without legislation.

This survey shows that, when presented with the facts, a strong majority of the population agrees that fishes deserve more protection than the Government is providing them. Even though there are still those that don’t know fishes feel pain, most people agree that they deserve the detailed legislation afforded to land farmed animals.

We’re calling on the UK Governments to change the law and stop fishes being killed in painful ways. If you agree that fishes should no longer be forgotten, sign the petition.

1Figure calculated by THL UK based on 1884 survey respondents who do buy fish.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2173 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd-4th November 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).