Expanding the moral circle: farmed fish as objects of moral concern.
Diseases of aquatic organisms May 4, 2007 Vonne Lund, Cecilie M Mejdell, Helena Röcklinsberg et al. 69 citations
Legislation and standards for fish welfare are emerging internationally, yet animal ethics does not automatically accept public morality as normative. Sentience is considered a key criterion for moral concern: if an animal is sentient, it should receive moral consideration. Research indicates that teleost fish have sensory systems that detect noxious stimuli and may possess phenomenal consciousness allowing them to feel pain. A risk analysis suggests the probability that fish can feel pain is not negligible, and if they do, the number of suffering individuals would be great. The authors conclude that farmed fish should be given the benefit of the doubt, and efforts should ensure their welfare needs are met, including research, education, accountability, and policy compliance.