Preslaughter Sedation Maintains Sensory Quality of Farmed Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Addresses Consumer Concerns Regarding Animal Welfare

While there is a growing need to increase farm fish production to meet food security needs of a growing population, humane slaughter treatments are not well understood. Use of sedative agents prior to slaughter can facilitate a more rapid and humane slaughter process. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of implementing preslaughter electrosedation on the quality and consumer acceptance of farmed rainbow trout. A consumer sensory panel (n = 65) was conducted comparing rainbow trout slaughtered according to two methods: (1) immersion in an ice-water slurry (Control) or (2) immersion in an ice-water slurry immediately preceded by electrosedation (Electrosedation). Results from a sensory triangle test determined that there was no significant difference between the two fish harvested by different methods. These results suggest that electrosedation does not impact the sensory quality of farmed rainbow trout. This demonstrates that preslaughter electrosedation effectively aligns interests regarding animal welfare, efficiency, and product quality in the production of farm rainbow trout. This is an important finding as the results could provide insights for treating fish humanely without sacrificing the quality while meeting the demands of a highly regulated industry.