Commercial fishing can negatively impact marine environments, especially when species are individually managed instead of a more holistic approach that considers the impacts of harmful fishing practices that damage the environment, the removal of important species from an ecosystem via quota-based management, and the greater impact of human-driven stressors such as climate change. Healthy marine ecosystems are essential for aquatic animal welfare. An aquatic animal’s welfare is intimately linked with their ability to find food, rear offspring, build nests, find roosts or habitats suitable for laying eggs, and engage in social interactions and normal behaviours.

SPCA advocates for commercial fisheries practices that minimises the harms to and the welfare of target and non-target species.

Fish are sentient beings and are capable of feeling pain and suffering and experiencing positive welfare states. They should be awarded the same level of consideration and protection that we give other vertebrate animals.

Welfare issues from commercial fishing include exhaustion from attempting to evade capture; injury and crushing due to overcrowding in nets; exposure to rapid changes in body temperature and atmospheric pressure, which result in thermal shock and barometric trauma; increased handling while sorting and inhumane slaughter practices.

Currently, there are minimal welfare requirements for how wild fish are caught for commercial purposesand no requirements around how they are slaughtered. SPCA advocates for compulsory regulation for the design and use of all types of fishing equipment, with specific attention to the provision of escape mechanisms in nets and other strategies to reduce by-catch of non-target species and protection against damage to marine habitats. SPCA is concerned with the injury and deaths of marine mammals, seabirds, sharks, as a result of collisions with fishing boats, gear, and getting captured in nets and on hooks.

SPCA advocates for the use of electronic monitoring systems(e.g., cameras) on 100% of commercial fishing vessels to document fishing events and record catch data of both target and non-target species.

SPCA is concerned with the current transparency and reliability of fisheries data reporting of target and non-target animals and the low level of on-board observer coverage.

SPCA opposes destructive bulk fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, which result in the indiscriminate capture of non-target species (e.g., marine mammals, birds, and non-target fish species) and destruction of marine habitats.

The impact of the use of bulk fishing methods on marine mammals, sea birds, fish, and invertebrate bycatch, benthic environments, and habitats will differ with choice of fishing gear and fishing behaviour. Change in fishing behaviour (e.g., changes in areas fished or gear configurations) and improvements in fishing gear (e.g., increased mesh sizes, escape grids and panels) can help increase selectivity of target species and decrease bycatch of non-target species.

SPCA advocates for all people who fish to act responsibly in relation to their impact on the environment and animals, including ensuring proper maintenance and decontamination of fishing vessels and disposing of fishing gear. SPCA supports efforts to encourage returning or recycling fishing gear rather than littering, such as improving traceability of fishing gear and refundable deposit schemes.

SPCA advocates for fish to only be killed after they have been humanely stunned.

SPCA opposes the processing (e.g., gutting, filleting, or freezing) of live fish.

For slaughter to be humane, fish must be stunned to induce unconsciousness and remain stunned until death occurs. SPCA advocates for the use of electrical and percussive stunning as the most humane methods of stunning, where stunning parameters are based on scientific recommendations. Our organisation advocates for the use of in-water, group stunning of fish, to prevent taking fish out of water or isolation distress.  AQUI-S is a clove oil-based food-grade anaesthetic product that has been approved for use in New Zealand and can be used to humanely render fish insensible before killing.

To ensure death, non-fatal stunning must be immediately followed by a killing method such as severing of all gill arches on at least one side of the head, preferably both sides, to enable the fastest possible blood loss. Our organisation supports research to improve the humaneness of stunning and slaughter methods for commercially caught fish.

SPCA opposes inhumane methods of stunning and slaughter of commercially caught fish.

SPCA opposes killing fish through practices such as asphyxia in air or ice, hypothermia in ice-water slurry, bleeding without stunning, immersion in water containing high concentrations of carbon dioxide, decapitation, and salt or ammonia baths.

SPCA opposes subjecting live wild fish to welfare harms during transport.

Fish and crustaceans are at serious welfare risk due to transport. Transportation is a known risk to fish and crustacean welfare due to physical injuries, stress, handling, and environmental changes that fish experience.

Our organisation opposes the sale of live fish and crustaceans for food at markets.

Market environments are not likely to meet the physical, health, and behavioural needs of live fish. Holding fish and crustaceans in tanks creates welfare problems related overcrowding and water quality. It is also difficult to ensure live fish sold at markets will be transported and killed in ways that minimise negative impacts to their welfare.