Harmonizing Animal Health and Welfare in Modern Aquaculture
Format of work:
Journal Article
Event presented at / Journal Name:
Fishes
Speaker / Contact Author's Name:
Tessa Gonzalez
Speaker / Contact Author's E-mail Address:
tessa@ali.fish
-
Research aim:
This paper aimed to compile publicly available information on advanced aquaculture practices, supported by consultation with welfare scientists and industry experts, in order to summarise promising welfare-orientated innovations which are currently in use.
-
Background:
Historically animal health and welfare have been used interchangeably by producers, advocates, and policymakers. Understanding how they both correlate and deviate from one another in commercial farming practices, including aquaculture, is an essential element of sustainable development with animal welfare as a priority. The use of positive welfare measures, which account for both physiological and psychological aspects of animal welfare, is particularly crucial at a time when there is pressure to develop more efficient production systems.
-
Approach:
A comprehensive review of peer-reviewed articles, industry reports, and white papers was conducted to identify practices with potential benefits to both production efficiency and animal welfare. Specific focus was given to identifying practices explicitly described as reducing stress, enhancing natural behaviours, or improving overall health outcomes. Input from stakeholders, including aquaculture practitioners, animal welfare scientists, and industry experts, was sought to validate the practical application and perceived welfare benefits of the practices identified. Practices were included based on their alignment with recognized welfare principles (e.g., the Five Freedoms) and their evidence-supported contributions to health and welfare outcomes. Practices with conflicting evidence or lacking clear welfare implications were excluded or highlighted for further research. Where possible case studies were included.
-
Key finding:
This paper summarises promising welfare-orientated innovations for aquaculture. The focus is on commonly farmed species of high global relevance (e.g. Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, carp, tilapia, sea bass, sea bream, turbot, pangasius and whiteleg shrimp). The results are structured around five welfare "pillars": water quality, space and stocking density, environmental enrichment, feeding and feed composition and stunning and slaughter. They use real examples of where a technique has been applied and describe the observed production and welfare benefits observed.
-
Industry or policy relevance:
This paper includes recommendations of advanced aquaculture practices that industry could use to improve water quality, space and stocking density, environmental enrichment, feeding and feed composition and stunning and slaughter. In addition, there are real-world examples of where these have been applied successfully.
-
Route for practical application:
The results are intended to promote better cross-industry collaboration between academic institutions, advocacy organizations, and producers to both inspire future research and highlight those who are currently leading in their respective areas. This review is an initial accumulation of knowledge and technology advancements that promote collaboration among aquaculture stakeholders, facilitating the dissemination of information and fostering innovation in the seafood industry. However, as additional data become available, a more comprehensive reference guide could be created with various specificities based on species, region, farming system, etc.
-
Confidence in findings and next steps towards realising impact:
More data would be needed to have full confidence in the findings of this literature review. For example, it would be helpful be able to specify the number of farms currently using different practices; however, this data is not freely available. Quantitative studies to validate the effectiveness of these practices under controlled conditions and develop standardised evaluation methods would be a good next step.
Funders:
This research was funded by Tiny Beam Fund, Inc. through the Fueling Advocates Initiative Grants Program.
Links to Open Access Publications or DOI:
Citation:
Gonzalez, T.J. Harmonizing Animal Health and Welfare in Modern Aquaculture: Innovative Practices for a Sustainable Seafood Industry. Fishes 2025, 10, 156.
