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We work to improve the welfare of farmed fishes as much as possible.

Why Fish Welfare Matters

​Of the estimated 165 billion farmed vertebrate animals alive at any given point globally, 125 billion are farmed fishes. Unfortunately, like other farmed animals, fish are often treated cruelly in the industry. [1]

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For the first time, aquaculture—the world’s fastest-growing food industry—has surpassed wild capture as humanity's main source of fishes.

As aquaculture grows, fish welfare must grow, too.

Causes of Suffering

While welfare issues vary in type and severity from farm to farm, the broad causes of suffering farmed fishes face include:

Overcrowding

Poor water quality

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Ineffective and absent pre-slaughter stunning

Diseases and parasites

Inability to express their natural behaviors

Given salmons’ natural migratory and predatory drives, keeping these animals in sea cages may be fundamentally unsuitable for their welfare. As seen above, salmons may exhibit behaviors such as leaping from the water as they try to remove parasitic sea lice from their bodies. Learn more. Ed Shephard / We Animals

Fish Welfare Improvements

Farmed fishes face a variety of welfare challenges, but some of these
challenges are solvable.

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Learn More

Benefits of Improving Welfare

The welfare of fishes impacts biodiversity, human health, and business sustainability. Improved welfare is the right thing for industry, the environment, and the fishes.

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About Us

How FWI Helps Fishes

We research and execute collaborative animal welfare interventions in high-priority contexts. We select these contexts based on the scale of the problem, expected tractability, and other relevant factors.

Our Work Around the World:

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The Philippines

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Our Impact

We work to improve the lives of farmed fishes in two main ways:

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Programs

We directly improve the welfare of farmed fishes with our programs. We estimate that we've helped over 2 million fishes so far.

Research and Development

We research new interventions to reduce the suffering of some of the largest and most neglected groups of farmed fishes.

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Keep Exploring

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Fish Sentience

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Do Fish Feel Pain? by Victoria Braithwaite

Recent Blog Posts

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Get Involved

Interested in learning more or getting involved? The main ways that people can support our work are by working with us or donating. Thank you for helping us make a better world for all sentient life!

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[1] However, if you consider invertebrates, the largest group of farmed animals are actually shrimps and insects. Learn more.

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