Animal sentience: scientific evidence and advances in animal welfare

Sentience refers to the capacity to be conscious, experience sensations and emotions (such as pain, fear, pleasure, and well-being), make decisions, learn, form relationships, among others. What evidence exists of sentience in fish, and what agreements or standards regulate the basis for respecting and safeguarding animal welfare (which is based on the fact that fish are sentient beings)?

Globally, both the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, signed in 2012, and the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness, signed in April of this year, explicitly state that fish are included as sentient animals.

Despite the existence of vast scientific evidence and studies that affirm the same as both declarations, it seems not to be a widely disseminated and known issue in society in general.

Some examples at the international level include: Aquatic Animal Health Code (Aquatic Code) by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Code of Good Practices in Fish Welfare among Aquaculture Producers of the European Aquaculture Advisory Council (EAC), the Animal Welfare Act of New Zealand (1999), the Animal Welfare Act of the Australian Capital Territory (1992), the Animal Protection Act of Norway (1974), and the Animal Welfare Act of Norway (2009). Also, certifications include some items of animal welfare. 

At the national level, there are also some advances such as Law 20.380 on animal protection, the Regulation on animal protection during their industrial production, marketing, and in other animal maintenance facilities, and, more specifically at the level of the aquaculture industry, the General Law of Fisheries and Aquaculture incorporated in 2010 Article 13 F which stipulates that "aquaculture must include norms that safeguard animal welfare and procedures that prevent unnecessary suffering".

However, since 2012, a bill that seeks to amend the Civil Code to recognize animals as sentient beings has been stalled, which would represent a significant advance in the field. Because of this, it is of utmost importance to continue advancing in legislative matters.

How are all these laws and regulations applied in Chilean salmon farming? What progress exists in sentience and animal welfare? What changes and updates does the sectoral and national regulations require? All these questions are addressed and discussed by various experts in a new report published in the latest edition of Salmonexpert magazine.

Katherine Martínez, Veterinary Doctor and expert advisor in animal welfare, Ignacia Uribe, founder and CEO of Fundación Veg, Dr. Hernán Cañon, expert in animal welfare and academic at the University of Las Américas (UDLA), and Luiz Mazzon, Director of Global Programs of Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) (Certified Humane), are the specialists who share their views on the subject.

Read the article titled "Animal Sentience: Scientific Evidence and Advances in Animal Welfare" in the latest edition of Salmonexpert magazine here.