Announcing Fish Welfare Initiative

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Fish Welfare Initiative

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Announcing Fish Welfare Initiative

As you are probably aware, fish are used and exploited in many ways. Humans hold them in systems with poor water quality and without enrichment, handle them roughly, permit them to suffer from disease and parasites, and eventually kill them, usually without prior stunning. All this occurs in massive numbers: 73-180 billion fish are alive at any given point in fish farms. Trillions more are caught and killed in the wild.

We work to improve this situation: first by systematically reviewing the different welfare issues fish face (see our initial plan below), and then by implementing our findings through advocating for welfare improvements. Our mission is to reduce fish suffering, and we are open to whichever ways seem best to do that.

The number of fish killed by humans each year has grown dramatically in the previous decades. Of particular note and concern is the rate at which fish aquaculture (i.e. fish farming) has grown. Source: FAO.

Blog Post: Why fish?

Billions of animals suffer in industrial agriculture every single day. Many belong to species we resonate with more, like chickens and pigs. So what's the big deal with fish?

We lay out our reasoning for choosing to work on fish in our first blog post:

Why focus on fish?

Our Initial Plan

Over the next six months we will be trying to answer three questions:

The best welfare improvement(s) and species for which to advocate
The best country in which to work
The best approach to take (e.g. corporate outreach, working with individual facilities, etc.)

As part of this process, we are visiting farms and contacting experts in various fields in order to build our understanding. The animal advocacy movement is at its most effective when all relevant stakeholders are coordinating, so if you have already conducted research into any of the three questions above please reach out! We are especially excited to speak with fish welfare scientists and other animal advocacy organizations that have worked on fish issues.

Let us know what you think by replying to this email. Thanks for all you to do to make this world more awesome.

Cheers,
Haven and Tom, Fish Welfare Initiative Co-Founders

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