Rethinking Sea Life on National Fisheries Day

Today:

Nearly 90% of global fish stocks are either fully exploited or over-extracted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. A system that treats marine life as an endless resource is a broken one that demands our attention.

Marine life exploitation and extraction depletes target species, disrupts food chains, and kills untargeted animals like dolphins, sea turtles, and seabirds through bycatch. An estimated 10 million tons of bycatch are discarded annually, a tragic cost of feeding global demand for sea animal protein.

Aquaculture, often promoted as the solution to marine extraction, presents its own pitfalls. Farming fish contributes to water pollution, habitat destruction, and the spread of diseases that threaten wild populations. Shrimp farming alone has destroyed vast areas of mangroves—critical ecosystems that protect coastlines and store carbon.

The deeper issue lies in our food system’s dependence on animal protein production, which fuels environmental degradation on land and at sea. While animal-free alternatives continue to grow in availability and popularity, significant shifts in policy and industry practices are needed to protect marine ecosystems.

On this National Fisheries Day, let’s reflect on the true cost of exploiting marine life and recognize that the future of our oceans—and our planet—depends on bold changes. Shifting toward a food system that prioritizes sustainability and compassion is no longer optional; it is essential.

Links to resources:

1. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): "The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022" provides insights into the global production of aquatic animals, with aquaculture surpassing capture operations for the first time in 2022. This report discusses the implications of increased reliance on aquaculture and declining wild capture fisheries. Available at FAO - The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022​
   FAOHome

2. Pew Charitable Trusts: Research on overfishing highlights the biological and economic impacts of overexploitation in global fisheries, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices. Explore more at Pew Charitable Trusts - Overfishing.

3. Scientific Research on Bycatch: Studies on unintended bycatch emphasize its detrimental impact on marine biodiversity, including endangered species like sea turtles. Summary available at ScienceDirect - Bycatch Research.

Notes:

The draft of the new AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals lists the following methods of mass extermination of fish used in aquaculture:

Tier 1

Immersion agents

• benzocaine or benzocaine hydrochloride 

• carbon dioxide-saturated water from a CO2 source

• Ethanol

• eugenol, 6659 isoeugenol, and clove oil 

• isoflurane and sevoflurane 

• quinaldine sulfate 

• tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222, TMS) 

• 2-phenoxyethanol 

Injectable agents 

• sodium pentobarbital 

Physical methods

• Decapitation (2 step) followed by pithing of the brain 

• Cervical transection (2 step) using a knife or other sharp instrument to sever the spinal cord and cervical vertebrae caudal to the skull, followed by pithing of the brain. 

• Percussive stunning and manually applied blunt force trauma (cranial concussion; 2 step) followed by exsanguination or pithing of the brain 

• Captive bolt (1 step) to the thinnest area of the dorsal skull 

• Maceration (1 step) in a macerator specifically designed for the size of fish being terminated

• Rapid chilling (hypothermic shock; 1 step or 2 step) in an ice slurry (2° to 4°C) 

Tier 2 methods 

• Percussive stunning

• Rapid chilling

• Exsanguination

• Electrical Stunning

Tier 3 methods

• Rotenone - 

• Rotenone, a naturally occurring ketone found in a number of plants, is widely employed by resource agencies to control invasive fish species. 

• Antimycin A 

• Chlorine (calcium hypochlorite) 

• Physical Methods

• Dewatering

The draft of the AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals fails to mention the most recent research on fish welfare. 

“Several studies have reported the neurophysiological and behavioural mechanisms that enable fish to experience several types of affective states, such as fear, pain and joy. This is crucial for the welfare feelings-based approach, as conditions that bring positive or negative valence to fish influence their affective state.” 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12812