The welfare of caught fish is gaining increasing attention, necessitating an assessment of current practices in the fisheries industry. This project emphasizes the importance of a collaborative effort involving seafood-related industries, research organizations and retail to address this issue on a global scale. Currently, such a multidisciplinary collaboration for major fisheries worldwide is lacking. The primary objective is to establish and coordinate the Catch Welfare Platform (CWP), a network of multidisciplinary teams aimed at expediting the transition in world fisheries towards practices and technologies that enhance the welfare of the catch, including post-capture slaughter.
The CWP will address critical challenges in transitioning global fisheries, including characterizing capture-related hazards, defining scientific principles and tools for implementing good catch welfare, understanding technical and socio-economic barriers, and facilitating stakeholder engagement and public awareness through effective communication and education. The transition will prioritize fishing practices that minimize physical damage and allostatic load on the animals. The active participation of seafood-related industries, including fishers, is crucial to accelerate this transition. Incentivizing fishers, such as through the valorisation of seafood products adhering to good catch welfare standards, is a key consideration. The work will be conducted within the framework of the One Welfare concept, which recognizes the interrelationships between animal welfare, human well-being, and environmental conservation.
Read more about the current state of the platform below
