[Animal welfare problems in the mass raising of commercial fish]

The maintainance of commercial fish cultures is regulated by Section 2 of the Animal Protection Laws, which require, among other things, that animals be kept under conditions where they can express normal behaviour and are not harmed by the culture methods. The welfare and health of the commercial fishes are largely dependent on the aquatic milieu, which is an extremely sensitive combination of chemical, physical and biological factors in intensive culture facilities. Disturbances of the equilibrium of these factors result in such problems as behavioural changes, increased susceptibility to infections and chronic health damage. The last of these problems is an unequivocal criterion for judging the conditions of captivity as unsuitable for the species. The widespread occurrence of chronic lesions in commercial facilities raises the question of whether mass culture of fishes that have scarcely been domesticated can in any way be interpreted as meeting the precepts of the Animal Protection Law as it is presently worded.