Ethical Seafood Research 1h ago

It’s time to address the invisible suffering experienced by farmed fish. That’s what ESR Director, Wasseem Emam, argues in his new perspective paper published in the Journal of Animal Ethics. From poor water quality and overcrowding to limited farmer training and a lack of humane slaughter practices, many welfare challenges remain widespread. Animal welfare doesn’t need to be treated as secondary to development goals. At ESR, we’ve seen firsthand how many welfare improvements are practical, low-cost and capable of supporting both better welfare and better outcomes for farmers. For aquaculture to grow responsibly, integrating animal welfare into development and policy frameworks is essential for addressing this large-scale, often invisible suffering. Source: Emam, W. (2026). Invisible suffering: Why animal ethics must confront the welfare of farmed fish in the Global South. Journal of Animal Ethics, 16(1), 1–4. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalEthics #Aquaculture #EthicalSeafoodResearch