Kenny Down grew up in Ballard, and went to sea while still a teenager. Working for years aboard Bering Sea longliners, he never thought much about the stress that fish might go through as they were unhooked and then – while still conscious — cut open and bled.

Now, the 52-year-old Down thinks about it a lot as chief executive of Blue North Fisheries, a Seattle-based company that on Monday will be launching a “humane harvest initiative” at the industry’s annual Seafood Expo in Boston.

By stunning the cod with an electrical charge before they are processed, Blue North wants to pioneer a kinder, gentler and hopefully better-tasting harvest.

“It t is hard not to recognize that when these fish are out of the water, it is uncomfortable for them,” Down said. “We recognize that the fish we harvest are sentient beings, and they deserve humane, conscientious treatment.”

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