Pausing for reflection to make progress: An assessment framework for ethical discussions on innovations in fisheries

Abstract

The research and development of technology in the field of fisheries aims to address the issues and concerns with which the industry is currently confronted. A recent example is a research project that aimed to develop specific technology to take account of product quality and fish welfare. The step to include welfare as a motivation for developing specific technology in this field is relatively novel and this theme has received little attention in research and development thus far (Huntingford et al., 2006; Lambooij et al., 2012; Metcalfe, 2009). One reason for this lack of attention may relate to the diversity of views surrounding the moral position of fish and our duties towards them that follow, which links to the scientific discussion on the capacity for pain perception in fish (Bovenkerk & Meijboom, 2020). Nevertheless, despite this debate there are significant motivations, from both a moral and practical perspective, to explore the impacts of commercial fisheries processes on fish and their welfare (Evans, 2009; Kaiser & Huntingford, 2009; Metcalfe, 2009) and to address these issues and concerns through technological development, i.e., developing new and improving on existing methods.