Animal welfare in farmed fish Martin Cooke MRCVS martin@ocatra.com 31 March 2017 Image: Salmon Farm Science
Source: FAO (2016) The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016
Finfish aquaculture (2015) rest of world Global aquaculture 66.6mt Global finfish production 44.2mt China finfish 24.4mt Norway Bangladesh Vietnam Indonesia China global finfish marine 13% India inland 87% Source: FAO China India Indonesia Vietnam Bangladesh Norway rest of world inland marine
Source: FAO Major farmed species >600 farmed finfish species production by volume (2014) carp 57% tilapia 11% catfish (various species) 9% salmonids 7% top 20 farmed finfish species 10 carp 1 tilapia 4 catfish 2 salmonids
Salmonids harvest 2015 Source: Salmon farming industry handbook (2015) Marine Harvest
Ireland salmon and sea trout 13kt mussels (rope and seabed cultured) 16kt oysters 9kt Source: BIM Annual Aquaculture Survey 2016 (2016)
Salmon production
Salmon production
Salmon production Source: Salmon farming industry handbook (2015) Marine Harvest
Sentience animals are self-aware animals have emotions animals can feel pain and distress animals can experience empathy, pleasure and sadness
Sentience strong evidence that all vertebrate animals are sentient legal emphasis on ability to suffer and feel pain, rather than positive aspects a sentient being is one that has some ability to: evaluate the actions of others in relation to itself and third parties remember some of its own actions and their consequences assess risk have some feelings have some degree of awareness. a sentient animal is one for whom feelings matter, John Webster Broom, D.M. (2007) Cognitive ability and sentience: which aquatic animals should be protected? Dis Aquat Organ. 75(2):99-108.
Sentience in fish finfish have: necessary neuroanatomy substantial perceptual ability pain and adrenal systems emotional responses long- and short-term memory complex cognition individual differences deception, tool use, and social learning cephalopods and decapod crustaceans Broom, D.M. (2007) Cognitive ability and sentience: which aquatic animals should be protected? Dis Aquat Organ. 75(2):99-108. Brown, C. (2015) Fish intelligence, sentience and ethics. Anim Cogn. 18(1):1-17.
Animal welfare factors selection and breeding husbandry - water quality husbandry - feed and nutrition husbandry - management procedures husbandry - stocking density husbandry - predator control finfish health antimicrobial agents transport humane slaughter
Selection and breeding manual stripping of eggs and milt from broodfish heat shocking to induce triploidy monosex tilapia glass eels
Husbandry water quality sensitivity to poor water quality varies temperature dissolved oxygen suspended solids ph management procedures handling for size grading and transfer fin clipping and tagging feed and nutrition undernourishment, metabolic stress and cannibalism feed withdrawal
Husbandry stocking density influences fish health and welfare at all life stages look for fin damage and other injuries aggression and behaviour alteration can lead to reduced feed intake solitary species (e.g. halibut, cobia) low densities may also lead to aggression in some species crowding for management procedures easy target for welfare groups
Husbandry predator control
Husbandry predator control impact on farmed fish stress and injury to fish behavioural changes and feed intake reduction impact on predators non-target species
Finfish health infectious diseases (some notifiable) infectious salmon anaemia impact on sympatric wild fish o sea lice (Caligus and Lepeophtheirus spp) o esp. Gyrodactylus (rotenone) handling for treatment or vaccination non-infectious diseases (e.g. cataracts IFA Aquaculture (2014) A Fish Health Code of Practice for Salmonid Aquaculture in Ireland IFA Aquaculture (2011) The Farmed Salmonid Health Handbook OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (2016) Section 4 and Section 10
Antimicrobial agents declining use many older compounds now banned disease control methods better husbandry vaccines immune stimulants OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (2016) Section 6 Source: Salmon farming industry handbook (2015) Marine Harvest
Fish transport stress mechanical handling injuries pre-transport fasting water quality in transport (O 2, CO 2, NH 4, ph, Tº, salinity tranquilisation of broodfish OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (2016) Chapter 7.2 includes responsibilities for competent authorities
Humane slaughter stunning wherever feasible percussion (e.g. salmon, carp) spiking (e.g. tuna) free bullet (including lupara) (e.g.tuna) electrical (e.g salmon, trout, carp, eel) killing with ice, CO 2 etc. results in poor fish welfare OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (2016) Section 7 Ch 7.3 has detailed guidance including evaluation of the various methods available Ch 7.4 covers killing for disease control purposes
Standards on finfish welfare OIE: Aquatic Animal Health Code (2016) EFSA: Recommendation Concerning Farmed Fish (2005) IFA Aquaculture: A Fish Health Code of Practice for Salmonid Aquaculture in Ireland (2014) IFA Aquaculture: The Farmed Salmonid Health Handbook (2011) Aquaculture Stewardship Council: standards for 8 species Global GAP: general standard Global Aquaculture Alliance: BAP certification (GOAL 2017 Conference, Dublin, 3-6 October) RSPCA Assured: salmon and trout
Assessing finfish welfare difficult to make direct observations of fish without compromising welfare in the process difficult to assess affective states reliance on resource based parameters, measures of environmental quality and indirect indicators, such as feed intake body condition, colour, behaviour, ventilation rate, injuries etc.
Crustaceans crabs lobsters prawns
Thanks! martin@ocatra.com