China is the world’s largest producer of finfishes for food, slaughtering over 27 million tonnes of freshwater fish in 2023. While consumers in Western countries typically buy frozen or processed fish, most Chinese consumers prefer fishes to be killed just before eating. As a result, live fish transport is a daily part of the aquaculture supply chain.

Fishes are transported in water-filled tanks on specialized trucks, often for hours at a time. Along the way, they may suffer from fear, pain, hunger, and injuries. Despite the scale of this practice, little is known about the specific conditions fishes experience in transit, or what those involved think about their welfare.

To better understand how the industry views and manages live fish transport, researchers surveyed 252 aquaculture stakeholders across 18 Chinese provinces between October 2021 and June 2022. Participants worked in areas including fish production, sales, government, and research. Data came from online questionnaires shared via WeChat and face-to-face interviews at farms, markets, universities, and restaurants. The survey included closed and open-ended questions on fish transport methods, welfare perceptions, and participant demographics.

The study focused on two main questions:

1. What are the common practices for transporting live fishes?
2. How do stakeholders view fish welfare during these journeys?

Transport Practices

Nearly 92% of respondents were involved in at least one stage of live fish transport. Around 80% reported that most freshwater fishes in their region are transported live, mainly to wholesale or wet markets. Typical transport times ranged from four to eight hours, with most fishes carried in tanks on purpose-built trucks. Additives like salt and ice were often used to maintain water quality and improve fish survival.

Participants identified oxygen levels, water temperature, and staff expertise as the top factors affecting fish welfare. Before transport, most checked oxygen levels and fish health. After transport, they assessed body condition and vigor, while signs like eye and fin condition were seen as less important.

Attitudes Toward Fish Welfare

Most respondents weren’t familiar with the term “animal welfare” — in fact, over 60% had never heard of it. Even so, over 75% linked fish well-being to product quality, and many already held views that support better welfare practices. Most believed that fishes are sentient, with almost two-thirds saying that they can feel pain, and about half believing that they can experience negative emotions. More than half of respondents felt that live transport poses a risk to fish welfare, and almost 75% thought that fishes should receive the same level of care as land animals used for food.

Those with university-level education were more likely to say that fishes can experience negative emotions, and they were more familiar with the concept of animal welfare. Production workers also showed greater awareness of welfare issues compared to those working in sales roles. Participants who had worked in the industry for 15 or more years were less inclined to agree that fishes can feel pain and negative emotions than those with fewer years of experience.

Limitations

Because most responses came from Hunan Province, the findings may not reflect practices in other major fish-producing regions like Guangdong or Jiangsu. The survey also allowed respondents to select multiple job roles, making it harder to pinpoint how specific positions shape welfare views. Research could be improved by including more provinces and asking participants to identify their main role and business size.

A Path Forward For Advocates

Despite these limitations, this study reveals an important opening for animal advocates working to improve fish welfare in China. Although formal awareness of animal welfare is limited, many intuitively recognize that fishes can feel pain and deserve care — especially when welfare is linked to product quality. By framing welfare improvements as both ethical and economical, advocates can encourage better transport practices, such as monitoring oxygen levels, regulating temperature, and improving staff training.

In one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing aquaculture industries, aligning welfare improvements with economic interests could help reduce suffering for billions of fishes.