Acronym SalmoFutura
Category
Aquaculture
Title Welfare of Atlantic salmon postsmolts in closed-containment production systems, using a function-based approach Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Bendik Fyhn Terjesen Coordinator email bendik.terjesen@nofima.no
Coordinator institution
NOFIMA - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Norway)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2014 End year 2017 Funding (€) € 1,076,555 Website https://prosjektbanken.forskningsradet.no/project/FORISS/233870?Kilde=FORISS&distribution=Ar&chart=bar&calcType=funding&Sprak=no&sortBy=date&sortOrder=desc&resultCount=30&offset=300&ProgAkt.3=HAVBRUK2-Stort+program+for+havbruksforskning&source=FORISS&projectId=233865 Summary To enable increased production, Norwegian aquaculture is dependent upon environmentally sound production platforms. New technologies are being considered for salmon postsmolts such as closed-containment systems in sea and on land. However, the consequences for fish welfare in such systems must first be known. SalmoFutura aims to generate knowledge and tools to document welfare of postsmolts in closed-containment systems. We will use new welfare tools to evaluate how such systems affect the ability of postsmolts to respond to new challenges. While homeostasis can be maintained under chronic mild stress, and difficult to detect, an additional challenge can push the animal over to allostatic overload, and compromise normal physiological response and welfare. SalmoFutura aims to characterize and develop indicators and a Welfare Index, that can predict poor welfare before they happen on a large scale. First we will characterize temporal profiles of welfare indicators following acute challenges tests (ACT), thereby finding the optimal post-ACT sample time to maximize the scope of indicator responses in the second trial. Here, selected size-classes that are critical for welfare, will first be subjected to chronic stressors, followed by an ACT. Welfare will then be assessed as the ability of the fish to produce normal physiological and neural responses. We will study three organs in particular, skin, gill, and brain. Regarding skin, industry reports that closed-containment systems may increase the risk of wounds. Hence, skin integrity and gill physiology will be prioritized. Regarding brain, recent studies have shown that previous environmental experiences provide memory-based mechanisms to deal with challenges, integrating physiological stress and cognitive abilities. Together, these physiological and mental robustness indicators will provide important information about the robustness of the fish towards future challenges in closed-containment systems.
Keywords
Fish;
Salmon;
Indicators;
Water quality;
Animal welfare;
Land-based aquaculture;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
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