Assessment of welfare aspects of stunning and killing of farmed fish in Norway

Abstract

Norwegian aquaculture involves stunning and killing millions of fish every year. Welfare of fish is protected by laws and regulations. According to the legislation, all farmed individuals must be unconscious before killing and kept unconscious until they are confirmed dead after exsanguination. <p>

<p>There is a lack of knowledge about to what extent different stunning and killing methods used in Norway fulfil the legislation for all relevant fish species. Farmed fish species have different anatomy, physiology, and behaviour, and there are individual differences regarding size and health status that need to be considered at slaughter. Consequently, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority commissioned VKM to assess which criteria for documentation of methods will secure animal welfare during slaughter and evaluate how differences between fish species may affect documentation and animal welfare. VKM was also asked to summarise the knowledge and hazards for animal welfare regarding the methods for stunning and killing of farmed fish in Norway.