One of the things we come up against in our work with farmers is the belief that improving welfare practices will eat into profits. It’s a fair concern — resources are limited and margins can be tight. But time and again, we’ve seen that this assumption doesn’t hold. When farmers are supported with the right knowledge and tools, welfare improvements often go hand in hand with better performance and more resilient operations.
Improving performance isn’t just about investing in potentially costly tools — it’s also about access to knowledge. Our recent survey in Egypt shows that when farmers receive training, they’re more likely to adopt good practices, leading to stronger outcomes.
How? Stress, a significant welfare concern, can lead to suppressed immune systems, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced growth rates and ultimately, higher mortality. By implementing strategies that mitigate stress, aquaculture operations can reduce the likelihood of disease outbreaks, lower reliance on costly treatments and improve feed conversion ratios – all factors that positively impact the bottom line.
So, how can aquaculture achieve the delicate balance between animal welfare and maximising return? Several key areas hold significant promise:
1. Promoting natural behaviours and reducing stressors:
- Appropriate feeding strategies: Ensuring fish receive adequate nutrition and implementing feeding regimes that mimic natural feeding patterns can reduce competition and aggression. Automated feeding systems can deliver precise amounts of feed at optimal times, minimising waste and promoting even growth.
- Social grouping and compatibility: Understanding the social dynamics of different species is crucial for minimising territoriality and aggression. Stocking compatible individuals and providing sufficient space for social interaction can contribute to a more harmonious environment.
- Low-stress handling and harvesting: Implementing careful handling techniques and humane slaughter methods are paramount for minimising stress and injury. Research into best practices, such as electrical stunning, can significantly improve welfare outcomes without significant increases in operational costs.
2. Optimising environmental conditions:
- Water quality management: Maintaining stable and optimal water parameters (including temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia levels) is fundamental to fish health and welfare. Investing in monitoring systems and implementing proactive water management strategies can prevent stress and disease, reducing losses and improving growth efficiency.
- Stocking density: While high densities can maximise immediate output, they also have the potential to encourage increased competition, aggression and stress. Research into optimal stocking densities for different species, taking into account factors like life stage and system design, is crucial. Implementing lower densities, where appropriate, can lead to healthier and more robust fish.
- Environmental enrichment: Providing structural complexity within aquaculture systems, such as artificial reefs, vegetation or shelters, can offer fish refuge, reduce aggression and allow for more natural behaviours. This can lead to a more resilient and less stressed population.
3. Technological advancements and data-driven welfare:
- Smartphone apps like the Tilapia Welfare App, developed by our partners at FAI, allow farmers to assess factors under the key ‘domains’ of nutrition, health, behavior and environment using scientifically-backed welfare indicators. The app provides real-time feedback to users which complement FAI’s free e-learning courses on these topics that are now available in multiple languages. Results can be shared with customers, stakeholders and certification bodies to ensure good production practices and outcomes.
- Sensor technology and artificial intelligence: Real-time monitoring of environmental parameters and fish behaviour through sensors and AI can provide valuable insights into the welfare status of stocked animals. Early detection of potential problems allows for timely intervention, preventing significant losses and improving overall health.
- Precision aquaculture: Tailoring management practices to the specific needs of the fish population, based on data analysis, can optimise resource use and improve welfare outcomes. This includes adjusting feeding regimes, water flow and other environmental parameters based on real-time feedback.
We acknowledge that the implementation of welfare-enhancing practices may require initial investment. However, the long-term benefits, including reduced disease treatment costs, improved feed efficiency, higher survival rates and potentially premium market access for ethically produced seafood, can outweigh these initial outlays. Furthermore, a growing consumer demand for sustainably and ethically sourced seafood creates a market incentive for aquaculture operations that prioritise welfare.
We conduct and encourage rigorous scientific investigation into the most effective and economically viable welfare-enhancing strategies for different aquaculture systems and species. This includes comparative studies of different production systems, experiments that look at how to introduce environmental enrichment and work to assess the suitability of stunning and slaughter techniques. All of this is carried out alongside detailed assessments of the economic implications of the various solutions proposed. By providing robust evidence of the synergistic relationship between fish welfare and profitability, researchers can incentivise the aquaculture industry to embrace more compassionate and sustainable practices.
The notion that improving fish welfare in aquaculture inevitably compromises profit is a misconception. Through thoughtful implementation of scientifically informed strategies, the industry can cultivate compassion without sacrificing economic viability. The challenge — and the opportunity — lies in providing the evidence-based solutions that enable a future where both the welfare of farmed fish and the profitability of aquaculture are simultaneously enhanced, fostering a more sustainable and ethically sound seafood sector.
