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We are so familiar with the laughing cow on the products of a French dairy company that we do not even think about its meaning — we assume that cows at farms are not so happy. The same goes for a smiling pig in a butcher’s advert, even if the meat is organic: we won’t be naïve enough to think that the pigs whose chops we might buy were happy. So, why should we believe such a thing in the case of aquatic animals?

Fishes and other aquatic animals may have been happy in their natural habitat until they were caught, stressed, injured, and frightened; but in aquaculture, in almost all cases, they have not been happy all their lives.

When you come across ratings such as ‘good fish’ or ‘recommendable’ and the like, such claims mean at best that the fish has been caught or farmed with more respect for the environment and possibly working conditions — whereas there is still no trustworthy certification for respect towards the animals in fisheries and aquaculture.

fair-fish international, FishEthoGroup, Friend of the Sea, Aquaculture Stewardship Council and some other groups are working on it and deserve all the support they can get. But even if they succeed, you will never be able to buy a ‘happy fish’ — just ask the fish!