A recent survey - commissioned by the Centre for Aquaculture Progress and carried out by market research company Savanta – has revealed strong support amongst consumers for the employment of pre-slaughter electrical stunning during the harvesting of sea bream and sea bass.
To gain a representative insight into customer attitudes towards fish harvesting methods, 1,600 participants from across Spain, Italy, Greece, and France – all significant markets for Greek sea bream and sea bass – were given a structured questionnaire with closed ended questions relating to various slaughtering practices.
The results of the survey revealed that 83 percent of participants expressed a preference for so-called humane slaughtering practices, which involve the use of electrical stunning of fish pre-harvest. Furthermore, 80 percent of the respondents stated that they would happily pay an extra €0.05 per 200 g for fish slaughtered in this manner. This attitude was similar across, France, Italy, and Greece, but was notably lower in Spain.
Animal welfare is increasingly popular amongst consumers and, in order to keep up with customer preferences, the aquaculture industry must take these demands into consideration. With this in mind, the Centre for Aquaculture progress states the need for the aquaculture industry to work together to meet the clear customer preferences for improved animal welfare standards.
