Reduction fisheries are fisheries that process catch into fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) – ingredients used primarily in aquaculture feed, livestock feed, and some industrial products. In terms of tonnage, roughly one-sixth of global wild capture production is processed into fishmeal and fish oil. Although an increasing share now comes from fish-processing by-products, many millions of tonnes of whole wild fish are still caught specifically for reduction each year.

But since fish welfare focuses on individual animals and not biomass, ALI’s Blue Loss report estimates that 30-50% of all individual fish caught at sea are fed to farmed animals rather than consumed directly by people. Because these fish are destined to be ground up, product quality is not a concern so animal welfare rarely comes up. However, the individual fish used in this industry, like herring and anchovies, are caught in massive numbers and experience the same stress, fear and pain as other wild-caught aquatic animals.