Animal Equality’s most recent investigation revealed numerous animal abuses and biosecurity risks aboard fish slaughter ships operating off the coast of Scotland.
The special investigation concerns the two main suppliers of these fish, Loch Duart Ltd. and Dawnfresh Farming, which has ties to the United States. The unexplored activities are relevant enough to be highlighted by a mainstream British news outlet called The Independent.
While many people are unaware of fish’s ability to feel pain, experience emotions, and even learn from previous experiences, proponents note that misconceptions about short memory and lack of intelligence has been repeatedly dismissed by scientists.
After witnessing suffocation, ineffective anesthetics and fish throwing as they hit multiple walls, the UK’s Animal Equality Foundation argues these animals deserve a lot of protection. under UK law.
Terrible deaths and extreme suffering are revealed
On slaughter boats, far from public view, salmon and trout industry workers have tried to hide the obvious cases of rough handling and blatant mistreatment.
Along with her team of investigators, Animal Equality UK Executive Director—Abigail Penny—used drone footage to reveal this purportedly mysterious industry. . From being in the water until being killed, these vulnerable animals face physical and psychological anguish.
The path to suffering for these fish begins long before they get on the boat. Investigators discovered overcrowding in the nets, which were completely sick and showed obvious signs of stress, as well as fish that were injured and bleeding from the suction system that forced them onto the boat. .
Fishes can be seen huddled together near the surface of the water, where they can clearly be seen cowering for a while….[T]they are capable of swimming far apart for fear of cannibalism, the result of a stressful and unnatural environment.
Mark Borthwick, OOCDTP PhD Fellow and Fish Expert
After getting on the boat, most of the fish are thrown onto a conveyor belt that will take them to the exterminator. However, Animal Equality’s drone footage found smaller fish left to slowly suffocate in empty buckets, as well as injured fish being thrown back and forth by workers. against the wall and throw it back into the ocean. One fish even hit the boat’s hard metal railing during its agonizing journey back into the sea.
While this disregard for animal welfare causes unnecessary suffering for these fishes, it also poses a biosecurity risk to wildlife species. These fish – often held for life in filthy, lice-filled underwater cages – often suffer from diseases that can contaminate the water.
Throwing fish into the sea definitely shouldn’t happen. These fish can carry diseases and parasites, and can negatively affect wild populations through competition, aggression or, if possible, the transmission of their genes.
Dr. Lynne Sneddon, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg
Fish that reach the conveyor belt often go back into the stun-killer, resulting in a stun effect. Because this machine is built to effectively stun medium-sized fish, those that are too large or too small are often conscious when the machine cuts their gills. The bloody slaughterhouse machinery offers a glimpse into the slow, gruesome and painful deaths these animals regularly endure.
Beautiful machines often require the fish to enter with their head first, I cannot stress enough how painful it would be for a trout if a stick or electric shock were to be applied to the body but not the head. It was a chaotic scene.
Mark Borthwick, OOCDTP PhD Fellow and Fish Expert
After consulting with experts in the field, including Dr Lynne Sneddon of the University of Gothenburg, Animal Equality confirmed that these fish have endured immense pain on these Scottish boats. Each year, up to 52 million farmed salmon and 25 million rainbow trout are raised and killed in the UK under similar circumstances.
This striking footage gives rise to real reason for concern. I have no doubt that mass and preventable suffering is happening at every stage of the process.
Mark Borthwick, OOCDTP PhD Fellow and Fish Expert
Distinctions Expose: Recognition and Abuse
Despite these animal welfare violations, salmon supplier Loch Duart Ltd. and salmon supplier Dawnfresh Farming – operating under the ‘RR Spink & Sons’ brand – had an impressive collection of certifications between them. With royal approval, RR Spink & Sons has supplied major UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer. Meanwhile, Loch Duart Ltd. provided the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and COP26, along with celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein.
Together, these organizations hold certifications from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), GlobalG.AP and Friends of the Sea, for which Dawnfresh has partnered with the RSPCA to develop standards your standard salmon.
Building a reputation as a quality, humane organization, salmon and trout suppliers even export overseas to American distributors. Dawnfresh supplies salmon to Wheeler Seafood, while both suppliers export fish to Los Angeles-based Strand Foods.
Unravel a dark history
Although Animal Equality’s 2022 investigation has raised alarms across the UK, it is largely consistent with findings from the 2021 land-based salmon slaughter survey.
Animal Equality’s secret footage of the Scottish Salmon Company shows gills ripped from the bodies of conscious fish. The law firm Advocates for Animals reported that workers hand-fished as many as seven times when the anesthetic equipment failed, while others slowly suffocated in the water.
Leading aquatic animal scientists and veterinarians have backed the evidence, highlighting the urgency of addressing animal welfare in the fishing industry.
Other evidence gathered by Animal Equality shows that these atrocities are not exclusive to the UK. During a 2020 investigation at a catfish slaughterhouse in Yazoo City, Mississippi, investigators found that fish kept out of water for up to an hour, slowly suffocated to death before being cut off. head while awake. Many of these fish lay on the floor in agony while the workers took their lunch break, and others were caught alive with the turtles.
Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, which offers Kroger, Save-A-Lot, Piggly Wiggly, Cracker Barrel and Captain D’s, has removed claims on its website that the fish are processed “within 30 minutes” in the face of numerous legal complaints physical.
Animal welfare and the future of the fishing industry
In response to these disturbing findings, Animal Equality UK is calling on the government to enact legislation to protect neglected animals. At this point, fish are excluded from the Animal Welfare At Killing Regulations (WATOK), a regulation that favors the goal of timely reform.
Animal Equality UK is also calling on the government to require CCTV at fish slaughterhouses to hold fishing corporations accountable to consumers. Combined with more frequent inspections, advocates envision a future where the government fully monitors an industry that has traditionally been self-regulating.
At present, accreditation does not make much sense as there is little transparency on how accreditation is achieved or maintained and the Government cannot continue to rely on these schemes.
Dr. Lynne Sneddon, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg
To put pressure on the UK government, Animal Equality asks you to share this investigation with its network. By drawing attention to these recent findings, animal advocates around the world will finally convince legislatures to implement these long-delayed reforms and save wildlife. lives free from pain and suffering.
But you can take the fish a step further.
Out on the lake, away from the prying eyes of the public, these workers clearly thought they were invincible, and there were no unannounced Government inspections taking place so it’s not hard to see why. Star. Consumers can never really know what goes on inside these facilities; The best way to prevent this suffering is to avoid eating fish altogether.
Abigail Penny, CEO, Animal Equality UK
By replacing fish and other animal products with ethical, affordable, and delicious plant-based options, we can improve our food systems for both humans and animals. animal.
Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to start the plant-based transition. With so many options on grocery store shelves and countless recipes accessible online, millions of Americans have joined the plant-based movement.
Visit Love Veg To begin your life-changing journey and rest assured that lives will be protected by your compassionate choices.
PROTECTION OF THE UNPROTECTED
Scientists confirm: Fish have a rich emotional life and the ability to feel. Protect these sensitive organisms by choosing plant-based alternatives to animal food products.
