About - Emerging Welfare Issues
As the wild stocks of fish species such as cod, haddock, halibut and turbot become pressurised they become increasingly attractive as potential aquaculture species. Farming of such species can reduce the pressure on fragile wild populations and fulfil consumer demand that can no longer be met by wild capture fisheries alone.
Commercial farming of species such as salmon, sea bass and bream that were once considered to be high-end luxury products means that they are now readily available and affordable. However, farming new species presents new sets of challenges and compared with well studied fish such as salmon and trout, very little is known about the biology of many new candidate species.
Left: Cod shoaling near the surface of a sea cage
Right: Ultrasound technology being used to check the maturational status of a broodstock cod