Kunnskapssammenstilling om fiskevelferd for laks og regnbueørret i oppdrett (FISHWELL)

Results achieved
Summary of results from the project’s final reporting
The project has produced two handbooks which synthesise the scientific information on the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. The information is then used to assemble a toolbox of welfare indicators for various production systems and husbandry operations. Each handbook is split into three parts: Part A addresses the latest state of the art knowledge regarding the welfare of each species, Part B outlines fit-for-purpose OWI toolboxes for differing rearing systems and Part C adapts the same approach for differing a husbandry procedures and operations.

Part A builds the scientific foundation for the rest of the handbook. Part A gives an overview of the knowledge about fish welfare, outlines the knowledge about the welfare needs of each species, and conditions that may affect the fulfilment of these needs. It then breaks down the array of welfare indicators into i) animal-based, direct indicators (outcome-based indicators) that can be applied at the individual or group level, and ii) environment-based indirect indicators (input-based indicators) that are applicable to the environment or resources the fish are subjected to. It outlines whether these indicators are OWIs or LABWIs, highlights important factors or thresholds to pay attention to and also draws attention to any knowledge gaps that may exist regarding each welfare indicator.

The in-depth foundational work of Part A is then used in Part B of each handbook to develop fit-for-purpose OWI toolboxes for differing rearing systems. In the Atlantic salmon handbook, Part B addresses seven different production systems including flow-through, RAS, open net cages, submerged cages, snorkel cages, semi-closed containment systems in the sea (S-CCS) and cages fitted with lice skirts. In the rainbow trout handbook, OWI toolboxes are outlined for flow through and net cage production systems as these systems currently dominate trout production in Norway.

The final part of the handbook, Part C outlines science based OWI toolboxes for differing husbandry routines and operations, in a similar format to Part B. It includes numerous existing and emerging husbandry operations such as crowding, pumping, grading and mechanical de-licing to name but a few. Each section again outlines the array environment, group or individual based OWIs for each operation, again highlighting any potential knowledge gaps.