Investigation: Thai Fish Farms and Markets

Our investigation shows fish:

• Living in unsanitary conditions in both big and small farms.
• With signs of disease and bacterial infection.
• Being tossed around, stored live in ice, and slowly asphyxiating out of the water.
• Left dead in the ponds and eaten by other fish.

For the population of Thailand, a Southeast Asian country of nearly 70 million people, fish are a primary source of protein. This coastal nation has a massive aquaculture industry and is one of the world’s major exporters of seafood, but its supply chain remains relatively obscure. Though farmed like terrestrial animals, the welfare of fish raised in aquaculture is often overlooked, and reports of their mishandling and poor living conditions have been increasing the world over.

Inside Thailand’s Fish Farms & Wet Markets

Local farmers are frequently the operators of small-scale fish farms in Thailand, selling their fish wholesale primarily to rural wet markets for retail consumer purchase. Standards on such farms may be less stringent than on farms that supply large corporate chains.

Our investigators collected evidence of unsanitary conditions on tilapia farms, where fish lived in visibly dirty water. We observed dead fish floating in the pens and ailing fish with bulging white eyes, possibly caused by the presence of Streptococcus bacteria. The footage obtained also shows fish being taken out of water and tossed into buckets or dropped onto the ground, left out of water to die slowly from suffocation.

In addition to poor animal welfare on these farms, there are also environmental concerns. Tilapia are a herbivorous species, but in these farms, they are fed fishmeal, which is made out of wild fish caught in the ocean. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the use of this type of feed in aquaculture exacerbates the issue of overfishing and threatens the ocean’s biodiversity.

This investigation also documented the abuse, slaughter and processing of fish at two of the country’s largest markets, Khlong Toei and Talaad Thai.

In Khlong Toei, the largest wet market in Bangkok, our investigators observed vendors striking fish on their heads with a cleaver, sometimes killing or rendering unconscious, sometimes not. Vendors then chop, descale, and gut them, often while still alive.

Since customers prefer the freshest fish possible, to keep some fish alive without writhing during processing, vendors used a spike to penetrate their brains, causing paralysis. If not rendered unconscious by spiking, paralyzed fish may remain capable of feeling and observing what happens to them.

In Talaad Thai, a market in the north of Bangkok where people buy products for resale and distribution throughout Thailand, fish are packed into plastic bags while still alive and die slowly while gasping for air.

Having suffered all the cruelty of the farms and markets, some fish still have to endure being transported to big retailers where they will be sold live. In Siam Makro, one of Thailand’s largest retailers, our investigation revealed live tilapia being displayed for sale in crowded and murky tanks. Many of them appeared injured and unhealthy.

Fish Feel

Science has shown that fish can feel pain, fear and stress, which suggests they also have the capacity to suffer. They are also intelligent, with studies showing their capacity to learn. Some fish species use tools to hunt, opening shells by hitting them against rocks and even protecting their eggs from threats by putting them into shells they can carry around.

Join Sinergia Animal in urging Thai producers and retailers to provide better welfare for fish, and asking Makro to stop selling live fish. You can help make this a reality by taking action here.

Data sources: Food and Agriculture Organization / ScienceDirect

Thailand, 2021. Mako Kurokawa / Sinergia Animal / We Animals Media