Some factors affecting the flesh quality of salmonids Pigmentation, composition and eating quality

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Protocol for assessing brain function in fish and the effectiveness of methods used to stun and kill them

A method for the evaluation of brain function in fish has been developed which is based on assessments of self-initiated behaviours, responses to stimulation, and reflexes. These assessments were validated in several freshwater and marine species and applied to evaluate the brain function of fish while they were anaesthetised and while they were being killed by a variety of methods. The results of these investigations were compared with published neurophysiological observations and it is concluded that some of the tests can be used to identify, with reasonable confidence, the state of awareness, and thus the capacity to experience suffering of several species of fish

Protocol for assessing brain function in fish and the effectiveness of methods used to stun and kill them

A method for the evaluation of brain function in fish has been developed which is based on assessments of self-initiated behaviours, responses to stimulation, and reflexes. These assessments were validated in several freshwater and marine species and applied to evaluate the brain function of fish while they were anaesthetised and while they were being killed by a variety of methods. The results of these investigations were compared with published neurophysiological observations and it is concluded that some of the tests can be used to identify, with reasonable confidence, the state of awareness, and thus the capacity to experience suffering of several species of fish

Preslaughter electrical stunning of eels

The current procedures for slaughtering European eels (Anguilla anguilla) for food are very slow and cause suffering. Although there is little legislation for protecting the welfare of fish at slaughter, the legislation covering farmed mammals and birds at slaughter is well defined, requiring that these animals be rendered insensible immediately or without fear or pain prior to being killed. For many mammals and birds this can be achieved using an electrical stun, which is then followed by a procedure that actually kills them, such as exsanguination. This paper reports the investigation of the possibility of using electricity to stun eels, rendering them insensible to pain. Using 1 s duration alternating currents at 50 Hz applied directly across the head of the fish, it was shown that it was possible to stun the fish with currents of 0.1 A and above. Increasing the applied current increased the length of the period of the stun. When the duration of the application of the current was increased to 30 s it was found that the fish could be killed using currents between 0.50 A and 0.95 A. These results show that it is possible to use electricity to instantly stun eels and also to kill them by using longer duration currents. The use of preslaughter electrical stunning at slaughter could allow the welfare of these fish at slaughter to be improved greatly

Preslaughter electrical stunning of eels

The current procedures for slaughtering European eels (Anguilla anguilla) for food are very slow and cause suffering. Although there is little legislation for protecting the welfare of fish at slaughter, the legislation covering farmed mammals and birds at slaughter is well defined, requiring that these animals be rendered insensible immediately or without fear or pain prior to being killed. For many mammals and birds this can be achieved using an electrical stun, which is then followed by a procedure that actually kills them, such as exsanguination. This paper reports the investigation of the possibility of using electricity to stun eels, rendering them insensible to pain. Using 1 s duration alternating currents at 50 Hz applied directly across the head of the fish, it was shown that it was possible to stun the fish with currents of 0.1 A and above. Increasing the applied current increased the length of the period of the stun. When the duration of the application of the current was increased to 30 s it was found that the fish could be killed using currents between 0.50 A and 0.95 A. These results show that it is possible to use electricity to instantly stun eels and also to kill them by using longer duration currents. The use of preslaughter electrical stunning at slaughter could allow the welfare of these fish at slaughter to be improved greatly