Commercial Fishing: Understanding the Numbers

Every second, approximately 30,000 fish are caught through commercial fishing worldwide. This page explains our methodology, sources, and the specific claims we make.

The Claim We Make

> "{count} fish suffocated slowly on the decks of trawlers"

This page explains both how many fish are caught and how we know about the lack of humane slaughter requirements for fish.

What Happens

Wild-caught fish are captured using various industrial methods including: - Trawling: Large nets dragged through the water - Purse seining: Encircling schools of fish with nets - Longlining: Miles of baited hooks - Gillnetting: Fish become entangled by their gills

Unlike land animals in most developed countries, fish have no legal stunning or slaughter requirements. After being hauled from the water, fish typically die from: - Asphyxiation: Unable to extract oxygen from air - Crushing: Weight of other fish in nets or holds - Decompression: Rapid pressure changes causing organ damage - Live gutting: Processed while still conscious

This process can take minutes to hours depending on the species and conditions. Research shows fish possess nociceptors (pain receptors) and exhibit behaviors consistent with pain and distress.

The Scale

| Timeframe | Count | |-----------|-------| | Per second | 30,000 | | Per minute | 1,800,000 | | Per hour | 108,000,000 | | Per day | 2,592,000,000 | | Per year | ~1,000,000,000,000 |

How We Calculate This

Fish catch is reported in tonnes, not individual fish. Converting to individual animals requires estimating average fish weights, which vary enormously by species.

Global wild fish catch: ~80-90 million tonnes per year - Source: FAO Fisheries Division (2022)

Estimated individual fish: 790 billion to 2.3 trillion annually - Source: fishcount.org.uk (2019)

We use a conservative mid-range estimate of 1 trillion fish annually.

Our calculation: 1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 31,536,000 seconds = 31,700 per second (displayed as 30,000)

Sources for the Count

FAO Fisheries Division - State of World Fisheries - **Organization:** Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Intergovernmental) - **Year:** 2022 - **What it measures:** Global capture fisheries production in metric tonnes - **Link:** [fao.org/fishery](https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/statistics)

fishcount.org.uk - **Organization:** Academic research project - **Year:** 2019 - **What it measures:** Estimates of numbers of individual wild fish caught globally - **Key finding:** Estimates range from 790 billion to 2.3 trillion fish annually - **Link:** [fishcount.org.uk](http://fishcount.org.uk/published/std/fishcountstudy.pdf)

Sources for the Practice

Lack of Stunning Requirements - **Organization:** Various regulatory bodies (Government) - **Year:** 2023 - **What it documents:** Regulatory framework (or lack thereof) for fish slaughter - **Key finding:** No country requires pre-slaughter stunning for wild-caught fish; requirements for farmed fish are rare and limited - **Context:** The EU Council Regulation 1099/2009 on animal slaughter explicitly excludes fish from stunning requirements

Sneddon et al. (2003) - "Do fishes have nociceptors?" - **Organization:** University of Edinburgh / University of Liverpool (Academic) - **Year:** 2003 - **What it documents:** Evidence that fish possess pain receptors - **Key finding:** "Fish possess nociceptors that are similar to those found in other vertebrates" - **Published in:** Proceedings of the Royal Society B

EFSA Scientific Opinion on Fish Welfare - **Organization:** European Food Safety Authority (Government/Scientific) - **Year:** 2009 - **What it documents:** Welfare aspects of main systems for stunning and killing of farmed fish - **Key finding:** "There is scientific evidence that fish are sentient and that they may experience pain, fear and suffering" - **Link:** [efsa.europa.eu](https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1190)

Compassion in World Farming - Fish Welfare - **Organization:** Compassion in World Farming (NGO) - **Year:** 2023 - **What it documents:** Industry practices and welfare concerns in fishing - **Link:** [ciwf.org](https://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm-animals/fish/)

Confidence Assessment

| Aspect | Confidence | Notes | |--------|------------|-------| | Total catch in tonnes | High | FAO data is comprehensive | | Conversion to individuals | Low | Huge variation in species/sizes; estimates vary 3x | | No stunning requirements | High | Regulatory frameworks are clear on this exclusion | | Fish can suffer | High | Peer-reviewed research on nociception and behavior | | Asphyxiation as death method | High | Standard industry practice, not disputed | | Overall claim | Medium | Practice is well-documented; individual count is estimated |

--- Last updated: January 2026 | Data year: 2022 | Confidence: Low (count), High (practice)