Eight strategic pillars, one coherent strategy
Each pillar reinforces the others — evidence informs policy, policy shapes practice, and practice generates the next round of evidence.
The neglected scale
Welfare knowledge hasn't kept pace.
250–408B
individual aquatic animals estimated farmed in 2018.
~0%
belonged to species with specialised welfare information available.
Bars are drawn to scale. The lower bar is the share of farmed individuals for which specialised welfare information was available in 2018 — a measure of knowledge coverage, not of how the animals fared.
Fish Welfare Research
Generating Africa's first rigorous evidence base on the welfare of fish, starting with cage aquaculture in the Lake Victoria Basin.
Impact: Credible, locally-generated evidence that funders, regulators, and farmers can act on — replacing assumption with data.
Policy and Legislative Advocacy
Bringing fish welfare into Kenya's animal welfare and fisheries policy conversations, and building the case for its inclusion in national and regional frameworks.
Impact: A seat at the table in policy discussions that have historically excluded fish from animal welfare considerations.
Farmer and Community Capacity Building
Working directly with fish farmers and fishing communities to build practical skills in welfare-positive husbandry and handling.
Impact: Farmers equipped with low-cost, high-return practices that improve both fish welfare and farm productivity.
Fish Health and Welfare Assessments
Developing practical tools to assess welfare on farms — from water quality to stocking density to handling stress.
Impact: A shared language and method for measuring welfare that farmers, researchers, and regulators can all use.
Sustainable Aquaculture Development
Promoting production systems that align fish welfare with environmental sustainability and economic viability.
Impact: Welfare improvements positioned as part of a resilient, sustainable aquaculture sector rather than a competing cost.
Humane Capture, Handling, Transport, and Slaughter
Addressing the most acute welfare risks fish face — at the moments of capture, handling, transport, and slaughter.
Impact: Practical, low-cost guidance that reduces suffering at the highest-risk points in the value chain.
Knowledge Sharing and Public Awareness
Making the case for fish welfare accessible — to farmers, policymakers, funders, and the public.
Impact: A growing base of stakeholders who understand why fish welfare matters and how it connects to food systems.
Regional Partnerships and Collaboration
Building relationships with governments, research institutions, universities, and organisations across Africa.
Impact: A collaborative foundation for extending fish welfare work beyond Kenya's borders.
Collaboration is a strategy, not an add-on
Fish Welfare Africa works with governments, research institutions, universities, fish farmers, fishing communities, the private sector, and development partners. No single actor can fix fish welfare in isolation — our role is to connect evidence, policy, and practice across all of them.
This work is stronger with partners
If your organisation shares an interest in evidence-based animal welfare, we'd be glad to talk.