That's us

History & Vision

Team

Association

Jobs/Internships

Partners

History & Vision

Team

Association

Jobs/Internships

Partners

fair‑fish was founded in Switzerland in 2000 as a pioneering organisation to promote the welfare of fishes in fisheries and aquaculture. Founder Billo Heinzpeter Studer tells the story of fair‑fish in his book published in 2020. A fish organisation born in landlocked Switzerland? Considering that the average adult and child each ate around 9 kilograms of fishes and shellfishes in 2022, i.e. a total of more than 75,000 tonnes, this no longer seems far-fetched. Switzerland eats an above-average amount of protein from the sea and imports an enormous amount of fishes from all over the world – only around 2% of fishes are produced domestically. According to publicly available sources, Switzerland imported fishes and seafood worth around 888 million Swiss francs in 2022.

Our vision

Since the organisation was founded, knowledge about fishes has multiplied, not least thanks to our fair‑fish database and the international research projects in which we are involved. And laypeople are also increasingly realising that fishes are creatures that can feel fear, joy, and suffering. Questions about overfishing and fish welfare keep coming up at the fish counter, which the retail trade wants to answer. International laws are also finally starting to take care of the fishes. Individual farms and fishing companies are implementing the first measures for fish welfare, such as improving living conditions in the cages or tanks where fishes are farmed or using ethical stunning and slaughter methods when catching fishes. New more animal-friendly fishing methods are also emerging.

But there is still a long way to go to achieve sustainable and animal-friendly farming and fishing.

We want to change people's perception of and attitude towards fishes. We are focussing on science and communication.

A small, international team takes on the vision of fair‑fish forward and gives fishes and aquatic animals a voice – on the World Wide Web, at conferences, and in training courses.

Fausta Borsani, Executive Director
When we talk about fishing and fish farming, we often talk about entire populations or stocking densities and tonnages. Rarely do we talk about fishes as individuals. Individuals that are often wrongly labelled as dumb, insensitive, and stupid. fair‑fish imparts knowledge so that we can treat the animals in aquaculture and fisheries with more benevolence. Personnel, communication, finance, and coordination are my main tasks. You can reach me at fausta@fair‑fish.net.

Jenny Volstorf, Head of fair‑fish database
I manage the further development of the fair‑fish database and look for opportunities for improvement. My team and I search for studies on fish welfare and fish behaviour, evaluate them, and point out gaps in research. I also network with other scientists and pass on the findings. You can contact me at jenny@fair‑fish.net.

Yannick Rohrer, Project Manager Research Transfer Fish Welfare
I have been part of fair‑fish since July 2023. My main task is to transfer knowledge about fish welfare into practice. I also revise the fish test and play a key role in developing potential new aquaculture projects. My involvement in fundraising and communication is essential. The fishes really need all of us! You can reach me at yannick@fair‑fish.net.

Larissa Puma, fair‑fish marine school teacher
As a teacher at our fair‑fish marine school, I pass on exciting knowledge about fish welfare and marine conservation to primary school pupils. I want children to feel and experience the sea so that they take responsibility and treat the marine habitat as well as fishes and other living creatures with goodwill and respect. You can contact me at larissa@fair‑fish.net.

Caroline Marques Maia, fair‑fish database researcher
I work for fair‑fish by creating and revising fish profiles that are published in the fair‑fish database. For this, I conduct [scientific] literature reviews on these species, considering their natural behaviours as well as their farming conditions and the risks to their welfare during the various stages of fishing. I also develop scientific research based on the data provided in the fair‑fish database. You can contact me at carol@fair‑fish.net.

Joly Ghanawi, fair‑fish database researcher
My role in the fair‑fish database team involves evaluating scientifically available literature on fish welfare and fish behaviour and creating fish profiles. I enjoy expanding my knowledge and actively contributing to improving fish welfare in fisheries and aquaculture. You can reach me at joly@fair‑fish.net.

Goran Andrijašević, Social Media and Digital Communication Manager
I am responsible for the various social media profiles of fair‑fish. My tasks include developing and implementing social media strategies to increase fair‑fish's visibility and engagement. I prepare content for our posts and respond to comments and messages. You can reach me at goran@fair‑fish.net.

Regula Horner, Administration
I am happy to work in the administration of fair‑fish, booking and collecting donations. As a long-standing member of fair‑fish and a conscious consumer, my focus is on the comprehensibility of fair‑fish's messages. Do I understand them, do I still have questions? I find the internal dialogue very stimulating and appreciative. You can reach me at regula@fair‑fish.net.

Sebastian Scholz, Webmaster and Cloud Manager
When I took over the web development of the fair‑fish database (formerly FishEthoBase) in 2016, I had no idea of the scope of my work. I create and administer our project websites, manage multiple servers, our mobile office, and digital conference rooms, which is essential for an organisation like fair‑fish that is in active exchange with people in many places around the world. You can reach me at sebastian@fair‑fish.net.

Board

Since 22 May 2024, the Executive Board of fair‑fish international has consisted of five people with different backgrounds:

Prof Dr Ralph Schill, Germany, biologist, professor at the University of Stuttgart, managing director of aquatil gGmbH. Ralph Schill is the new president.
Daniela Gschweng, Germany, freelance journalist, studied biotechnologist, former IT wizard specialising in environment, health, nutrition, environmental chemistry.
Sabine Wirtz, Switzerland, zoologist and curator at the Aquatis freshwater aquarium in Lausanne.
Benjamin Galler, Switzerland, Marketing Strategist, Consultant, General Sales Switzerland, Austria & Liechtenstein for 68^o Noord.

Members

At present (June 2024), fair‑fish has 22 committed individual members, 6 of whom have an employment or mandate contract with fair‑fish. According to the Articles of Association , this proportion must not exceed one third. A new individual member can only be admitted if proposed by an existing member and if the majority of all members are in favour. At the moment, fair‑fish has no collective members. The list of members is available to members on request.

We are always looking for motivated interns from all areas, whether to help us with research, administration, or communication.

Do you have a heart for fishes and aquatic life, for waters from streams to oceans, and would you like to help fair‑fish fulfil its vision of changing people's perception of and behaviour towards fishes?

Please send a short motivational email to mail@fair‑fish.net.

fair‑fish is connected with many organisations in projects and through the exchange of information. This network of cooperations allows us to take joint action against fish suffering and become active at a political and social level.