Guidelines and Implications of Fish Slaughtering in the Ensuring of Welfare and Product Quality

Abstract

The constant and accelerated increase of world fish production through the expansion of fisheries and the development of aquaculture has also generated a higher interest in animal welfare. In the present, is proven that the fish welfare is a factor that influences the quality of the product and the practices of capture and slaughter, which can compromise these attributes. The harvesting and suppressing life methods give to the biochemical processes of fish meat some particularities, as a result of the stressor to which it is subjected by tracking, agglomeration, space restriction and asphyxiation. In the view of all, it is important to correctly identify procedures that improve both the welfare of the fish and the quality of the product. In this review, there are highlighted some of the stunning and slaughter methods of fish used in the aquaculture or capture fisheries, focusing on the human agreed standards and international organizations. There are recommendations in this sense for operations prior to slaughter and the possibility of developing and implementing new methods, by country and species of fish. In this sense, the brain puncture stands out as a more humane method of slaughtering fish, which also improves the quality of the product.