In October 2024, we launched a new initiative to develop cost-effective stunning technology tailored to the Indian context. The first phase of this initiative—a request for proposals (RFP) aimed at addressing foundational questions about the feasibility of stunning in India—has been in progress over the last few months.
After a thorough evaluation, we have now selected two projects from the RFPs to fund. These projects, each expected to take approximately three months, will generate important insights to guide the next stages of stunning technology development in India. Specifically, they will address the following key questions:
Target Population: Which stakeholder groups within India’s aquaculture sector are most likely to adopt pre-slaughter stunning technology?
Incentives and Barriers: What economic, logistical, cultural, or market-driven factors could encourage or hinder the adoption of stunning technology?
Pathway to Scalability: What strategies or adjustments will be needed to implement stunning technology at scale across the aquaculture industry?
In this post, we share more about the selected teams and their projects. Additionally, we have an internal team independently conducting similar research. While this creates some overlap, we also believe the added efforts increase our chance of reaching a breakthrough.
The Selected Projects
We’re proud to introduce the two teams spearheading this effort:
1. The Neotia University Team (focus on West Bengal)
Led by Professor H. Shivananda Murthy and Dr. Avishek Bardhan, this project focuses on South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, one of India’s key aquaculture hubs. Prof. Murthy brings over 40 years of experience in aquaculture research and extension, while Dr. Bardhan’s expertise in fish health and pathology complements the project’s welfare-focused approach.
This localized effort will involve interviews, field surveys, and stakeholder mapping in the South 24 Parganas District, a major center for aquaculture in India. The team is particularly interested in exploring the feasibility of chemical stunning as a practical solution for the majority of Indian major carp farmers, who operate domestically under tight profit margins.
This project is formally launching on February 24 and will run for three months.
Dr. Bardhan and Dr. Murthy presenting at an information session with farmers.
2. Independent Consultants (focus across India)
The second project will be led by a team of independent consultants who have opted to remain anonymous in public communications. They bring with them extensive experience in commercializing technologies in the food and agriculture sector, as well as experience with online seafood retailers.
While the first team will focus more on a specific region, this team will take a more comprehensive approach across India. Their work will focus on identifying target stakeholders, such as premium brands, export-focused farmers, and larger cooperatives, who are most likely to adopt stunning technologies. They will also conduct qualitative consumer research to gauge demand for more humane practices, analyze the business case for stunning, and propose technology specifications tailored to India’s unique aquaculture context.
This project began on January 20, and will also run for three months.
Looking Ahead
These two projects mark the beginning of our multi-phase journey to, hopefully someday, end slaughter via asphyxiation in India. While we are optimistic about the progress of these projects, our plan is that each phase of this initiative serves as a decision point. Should the findings reveal that significant barriers cannot be overcome, we are prepared to reassess and, if prudent, halt further efforts.
However, we remain hopeful that these projects will uncover viable pathways forward. We are also excited by the prospect of more attention recognizing that current slaughter methods are, in fact, inhumane.
As always, we will share our results with you as we get them. We expect our next update here to be published around July, once all projects—both the two external as well as our own internal—have concluded.
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