Aquaculture

Executive summary

As global aquaculture grows, and exceeds the production output of fisheries, ensuring the welfare of fishes at slaughter is paramount. In the European Union (EU), legislation protects fishes at slaughter based on a general principle of avoiding suffering. However, the European Commission have stated that a thorough assessment of farmed fish slaughter will be conducted, with a view to introducing more specific rules to the slaughter regulation to protect fishes.

EU aquaculture production is extremely diverse as regards species and production systems, and this diversification is rapidly increasing. This may require, assured the premises to pursue an adequate state of welfare and health for the animals, more attention to: simplification, flexibility, risk analysis and assessment of cost benefits of the measures implemented.

The recommendations below result from the synthesis of works from Fish Working Group and Shellfish Working Group of AAC.