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HAVBRUK2-Stort program for havbruksforskning

Frameworks for classifying the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon based upon the principles of severity assessment

Alternative title: Rammeverk for kassifisering av velferd hos oppdrettslaks basert på prinsippene for klassifisering av belastningsgrad i dyreforsøk.

Awarded: NOK 11.6 mill.

There is no common severity assessment tool for classifying the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon. Different people may therefore differ in how they judge the effects of stress, injuries, and disease upon fish welfare. Further, the lack of a common “yardstick” for severity assessments makes it difficult to compare the effects of differing technologies and operations upon fish welfare. The WELFARE SEVERITY project is a concerted action involving IMR, NVI, NOFIMA, Wageningen UR, Norecopa, and major salmon farming and well boat companies and aquaculture organisations. Its primary goal is to address an urgent shortfall and develop common severity assessment frameworks for classifying the welfare of salmon in aquaculture. Firstly, we will conduct comparative studies of the severity of stress responses to various delousing treatment components and the effects of scale loss on fish welfare. We will then conduct literature reviews on how injuries and disease signs are likely to affect the fish and weight how much each indicator impacts upon fish welfare according to the principles of semantic modelling. By utilising industry data and farm visits, we will then create an applied database of scenarios describing welfare consequences of delousing operations and disease outbreaks. A set of scenarios will then be presented to a large panel of stakeholders (scientists, farmers, veterinarians, food safety inspectors, NGOs) who will be asked to assess the severity of the scenarios, classifying them from very low to severe. By using the Delphi method, the panel will work towards consensus of what scenarios belong to each severity classification. The end-product will be severity assessment frameworks that include a set of scenarios that can be used as a yardstick for the severity classification of new industry scenarios. Finally, we will explore how the frameworks can be used as a governmental tool to promote fish health and welfare in the industry.

There is no common severity assessment tool for classifying the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon. Different people may therefore differ in how they judge the effects of stress, injuries, and disease upon fish welfare. Further, the lack of a common “yardstick” for severity assessments makes it difficult to compare the effects of differing technologies and operations upon fish welfare. The WELFARE SEVERITY project is a concerted action involving IMR, NVI, NOFIMA, Wageningen UR, Norecopa, and major salmon farming and well boat companies and aquaculture organisations. Its primary goal is to address an urgent shortfall and develop common severity assessment frameworks for classifying the welfare of salmon in aquaculture. Firstly, we will conduct comparative studies of the severity of stress responses to various delousing treatment components and the effects of scale loss on fish welfare. We will then conduct literature reviews on how injuries and disease signs are likely to affect the fish and weight how much each indicator impacts upon fish welfare according to the principles of semantic modelling. By utilising industry data and farm visits, we will then create an applied database of scenarios describing welfare consequences of delousing operations and disease outbreaks. A set of scenarios will then be presented to a large panel of stakeholders (scientists, farmers, veterinarians, food safety inspectors, NGOs) who will be asked to assess the severity of the scenarios, classifying them from very low to severe. By using the Delphi method, the panel will work towards consensus of what scenarios belong to each severity classification. The end-product will be severity assessment frameworks that include a set of scenarios that can be used as a yardstick for the severity classification of new industry scenarios. Finally, we will explore how the frameworks can be used as a governmental tool to promote fish health and welfare in the industry.

Funding scheme:

HAVBRUK2-Stort program for havbruksforskning