About Scale Welfare

Why fish?

Over 70 billion fish are farmed for human consumption every year — more individual animals than any other farmed vertebrate — yet their welfare receives a fraction of the attention given to land animals.

Why Southeast Asia?

Around 90% of farmed fish are in Asia. The Philippines and Vietnam are both among the top 10 fish-producing countries in the world, and welfare practices there are largely unaddressed — meaning the potential for impact is enormous.

A win-win

Better welfare is not a trade-off against productivity — the two go together. Many of the conditions that cause fish to suffer, such as poor water quality, overcrowding and rough handling at harvest, also damage the fish as a product: lower survival, disease, stress and bruising all reduce quality and value. So improvements that reduce suffering tend to raise product quality at the same time, which is exactly what makes them attractive to farmers and durable in the market.

Working with local partners

Progress here is more tractable than many assume. In both the Philippines and Vietnam, we have found producers, industry bodies and researchers genuinely open to collaborating on welfare improvements — from farm visits and trials to training sessions with local farming communities. Working alongside these local partners, rather than around them, is central to how we operate and to why our pilots can scale.

The fish we work with

Our work currently focuses on three of Southeast Asia's most farmed species.