Welfare of Fish at Harvest

Harvest comes at the end of the production cycle of all animals farmed for food. With fish, there are numerous different procedures used, depending on species, equipment, location and degree of awareness or training of the operators. The variety is quite overwhelming, even for a single species, but general themes can be followed throughout the process. During the process a number of actions are implemented, which can or do affect welfare. Some are avoidable, but others are not. For instance, it could be regarded that actually killing the animal is the greatest insult to its welfare – but it is of course unavoidable in a harvest procedure.