Welfare of Fish—No Longer the Elephant in the Room

Saraiva, João L.; Arechavala-López, Pablo

doi:10.3390/fishes4030039

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Gilthead seabream is one of the most important fish species for Mediterranean aquaculture, so a better understanding of its circadian rhythms and behavior in on-growing sea-cages is of great importance for the industry. With this knowledge, farmers may optimize the routine activities, feeding strategies and space in the farming-cages to improve both the performance and the welfare of their fish -an interesting example where the interest of the industry and the ethical concerns around its activity walk hand in hand (Saraiva and Arechavala-Lopez, 2019). Consequently, farmers would benefit not only in terms of efficiency, quality and quantity of production, but also regarding the reputation, public perception, marketing and acceptance of products.…”

Section: Accelerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic Telemetry: A Tool to Monitor Fish Swimming Behavior in Sea-Cage Aquaculture

et al. 2020

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Acoustic telemetry techniques are very useful tools to monitor in detail the swimming behavior and spatial use of fish in artificial rearing environments at individual and group levels. We evaluated the feasibility of using passive acoustic telemetry to monitor fish welfare in sea-cage aquaculture at an industrial scale, characterizing for the first time the diel swimming and distribution patterns of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) at fine-scale. Ten fish were implanted with acoustic tags equipped with pressure and acceleration sensors, and monitored in a commercial-size sea-cage for a period of 1 month. Overall, fish exhibited clear differences in day vs. night patterns both on swimming activity and vertical distribution throughout the experiment. Space use increased at night after the implementation of structural environmental enrichment in the sea-cage. Acoustic telemetry may represent an advancement to monitor fish farming procedures and conditions, helping to promote fish welfare and product quality.

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Section: Accelerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic Telemetry: A Tool to Monitor Fish Swimming Behavior in Sea-Cage Aquaculture

et al. 2020

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“…In this sense, the physiological tags are increasingly often being used in aquaculture conditions to monitor fish response to a stressor and/or rearing practices [ 16 , 22 , 23 ], showing great potential in welfare monitoring applications. Indeed, the welfare of farmed fish has recently received considerable attention (e.g., [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]). Fish welfare is overall based on the fact that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing good or bad feelings, or emotional states [ 27 ], and so most animal welfare definitions are linked to biological functions and/or feelings [ 24 , 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, the welfare of farmed fish has recently received considerable attention (e.g., [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]). Fish welfare is overall based on the fact that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing good or bad feelings, or emotional states [ 27 ], and so most animal welfare definitions are linked to biological functions and/or feelings [ 24 , 25 ]. Thus, welfare is not only related to the physiological state but also related to the overall response of the organisms in captivity [ 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calibrating Accelerometer Tags with Oxygen Consumption Rate of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Their Use in Aquaculture Facility: A Case Study

Zupa¹,

Alfonso²,

Gai

et al. 2021

Animals

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Metabolic rates are linked to the energetic costs of different activities of an animal’s life. However, measuring the metabolic rate in free-swimming fish remains challenging due to the lack of possibilities to perform these direct measurements in the field. Thus, the calibration of acoustic transmitters with the oxygen consumption rate (MO2) could be promising to counter these limitations. In this study, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792; n = 40) were challenged in a critical swimming test (Ucrit) to (1) obtain insights about the aerobic and anaerobic metabolism throughout electromyograms; and (2) calibrate acoustic transmitters’ signal with the MO2 to be later used as a proxy of energetic costs. After this calibration, the fish (n = 12) were implanted with the transmitter and were followed during ~50 days in an aquaculture facility, as a case study, to evaluate the potential of such calibration. Accelerometer data gathered from tags over a long time period were converted to estimate the MO2. The MO2 values indicated that all fish were reared under conditions that did not impact their health and welfare. In addition, a diurnal pattern with higher MO2 was observed for the majority of implanted trout. In conclusion, this study provides (1) biological information about the muscular activation pattern of both red and white muscle; and (2) useful tools to estimate the energetic costs in free-ranging rainbow trout. The use of acoustic transmitters calibrated with MO2, as a proxy of energy expenditure, could be promising for welfare assessment in the aquaculture industry.

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“…Although there is some awareness about it, there are no studies comparing behavioural differences between domesticated and wild individuals. This is a huge gap in the behaviour and welfare approach, not only for P. scalare , but for many fish species, as stated by Saraiva and Arechavala‐Lopez (2019).…”

Section: A Look Into the Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding behaviour to improve the welfare of an ornamental fish

Brandão

Dorigão-Guimarães

Bolognesi

et al. 2021

Journal of Fish Biology

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Some common practices in aquaculture, ornamental trade and fish facilities may disturb the behavioural repertoire of fish and its natural adaptive value, reducing welfare and impairing fish production. Hence, it is necessary to understand fish behaviour, as well as the factors affecting it, to improve the quality of fish's life under artificial environment. Here, we reviewed the behaviour of the angelfish Pterophyllum scalare, an Amazonian cichlid used worldwide both as an ornamental fish and as a fish model in scientific research. We characterized social, reproductive and feeding behaviour, as well as the amazing cognitive ability of the angelfish. In addition, we reviewed the effects of environmental enrichment and suggested some important variables that need to be considered for rearing P. scalare. In this review, we show for the first time a synthesis on behaviour and a best practice overview to improve the welfare of angelfish as a target species. Nonetheless, most topics reviewed fit a broader set of fish species, particularly ornamental ones. This synthesis can therefore open a path for further behavioural research applied to the welfare of angelfish and bring insights to other fish species.

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Welfare of Fish—No Longer the Elephant in the Room

Abstract: The concept of fish welfare is fairly recent and was overlooked for many years, based on a popular misconception that fish were “stupid” creatures devoid of any kind of sentience or mental capability [...]

Cited by 22 publications

References 12 publications

Acoustic Telemetry: A Tool to Monitor Fish Swimming Behavior in Sea-Cage Aquaculture

Acoustic Telemetry: A Tool to Monitor Fish Swimming Behavior in Sea-Cage Aquaculture

Calibrating Accelerometer Tags with Oxygen Consumption Rate of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Their Use in Aquaculture Facility: A Case Study

Understanding behaviour to improve the welfare of an ornamental fish

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