Contradictions and challenges of fish slaughter in Brazil

Abstract

Fish farming is an extremely important activity for the Brazilianmarket since it is currently on the rise. In order to obtain high-qualityproducts, some care is necessary from the breeding, involving facilities,adequate feeding, handling, harvesting, slaughtering, and packaging. Inthe fish farming chain, one of the most important moments is theslaughtering, because it is when the product undergoes modifications thatinterfere in its final quality, considering appearance, odor, texture, andpalatability. In the Regulation of Industrial and Sanitary Inspection ofProducts of Animal Origin (RIISPOA), there is little information thatrefers to the slaughter of fish, mainly about the appropriate way to beperformed, and the Normative Instruction No. 3 of the Ministry ofAgriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) of January 17, 2000,determines the standardization of stunning methods to humane slaughterin various animal species, except for fish. According to this bibliographicalreview, stunning by electrocution, a lethal blow to the head, and the bonemarrow section are the best techniques to be used, but there is still a lackof studies for standardization of methods. For this reason, this workgathers information about fish slaughter, as well as highlights the need forregulation by the relevant bodies.