Scomber scombrus
× Purse seines

WelfareScore | catch

Li0  ❘  Po0  ❘  Ce0

Likelihood

Potential

Certainty

Scomber scombrus is a marine species naturally inhabiting North Atlantic waters, including the Mediterranean. In fisheries, it is of commercial importance to many Atlantic fisheries, being extensively targeted by purse seine fisheries in European waters from the northern Norwegian Sea to waters off the Portuguese coast.

Slipping the whole or parts of a catch has traditionally been used in pelagic fisheries if catches are too large or the size and/or quality of the FISHES are regarded as unsatisfactorily, although high post-slipping mortalities have been reported. S. scombrus is delicate and particularly vulnerable to stress which explains the very high mortality rates following the stress of capture, handling, and retention in nets, with excessive crowding in the net being considered the principal stress mechanism. Transfer to the vessel mainly happens via pumps which avoids contact with air, but the arrival on deck or in the storage containers is most likely stressful and may lead to injuries. Further research is needed on welfare hazards and their consequences. S. scombrus is brought to land without prior stunning or slaughter. Stunning and slaughtering protocols are on the table, but validation in field studies are still needed.

For details see: WelfareCheck | catch (pre-release)