Campaigners are calling for a change in the law to protect farmed fish during slaughter. Artist Isabella Cotier has created a travelling mural, which highlights the suffering of farmed fish.
Two images appear on the mural - one of people sleeping on a giant fish, and another of three figures drinking tea underwater inside a sea cage, used for fish farming. The art installation will be revealed at Parliament Square Westminster on Tuesday in support of The Humane League UK’s Forgotten Fish campaign.
It hopes to persuade the Government to give farmed fish detailed protections at slaughter like other farmed animals. Fish are the second most farmed animal in the country after chickens, with up to 86 million slaughtered each year - more than pigs, cows, sheep, turkeys and ducks combined. The major species farmed in the UK are rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon.
However, while the law clearly states how other species should be stunned and slaughtered, farmed fish do not receive these protections. There is no oversight of their welfare at slaughter, and no legal provisions detailing how to kill fish in a minimally painful way.
The Government’s Animal Welfare Committee is set to publish an opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter this autumn and the Forgotten Fish campaign is calling on policymakers to use the opportunity to update protections for fish. Artist Isabella Cotier said: “The underwater world is a source of wonder and inspiration, from harmonious relationships between humans and animals shown in documentaries like My Octopus Teacher to the dazzling explorations of Jacques Cousteau. I want to remind the viewer that fish are creatures with their own agency who deserve respect like any other animal. Art is a great tool to help combat difficult subjects - I hope people will develop their own narratives hidden within the drawings and begin to question fish farming with an open mind.”
Amro Hussain, Senior Public Affairs Lead for The Humane League UK, said: “Fish are the second most farmed animal in the UK. Millions are slaughtered each year, yet farmed fish have weaker legal protections at slaughter than other farmed animals. The evidence on fish sentience has been bulletproof for years, and their lack of legal protections can result in their slaughter being painfully botched. We can’t continue to neglect the welfare of millions of sensitive animals - the Government must act.”
