Farmed Fish Welfare
Far from the caricatured creature with a 30 second memory, fish are now known to possess the neurological anatomy, the physiology and the cognitive abilities necessary for nociception. Furthermore, they demonstrate all the aversive reactions characteristic of a painful experience.
There is increasing pressure on regulatory authorities to legislate on fish welfare. Legislation, however, must be based on sound data and until recently, there has been little work on the welfare of fish. The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) report on the Welfare of Farmed Fish (1996) highlighted a general lack of understanding and the need for research.
The European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries Report (Aquaculture in the EU: present and future (2002/2058 (INI)) published on the 10th December 2002 identified the welfare of farmed fish to be a major concern and called on the Commission to "step up research to pave the way for the development of Community regulations on the Health and Welfare of Farmed Fish". The Council of Europe has produced recommendations on farmed fish, which are likely to be adopted as a Directive by the EU for implementation by all member states.
The fish farming industry has corroborated the need for scientific data on which to base welfare recommendations and has been closely involved in projects addressing some of the major fish welfare issues. This reflects the view of stakeholders that there are not necessarily any conflicts between good welfare and profitable farming practices and the industry recognises that there is a clear relationship between improvements in fish welfare and the production of premium quality fish.
In order to be sustainable the production of farmed fish must not only demonstrate environmental care and ensure high welfare standards but must remain profitable. However, control of welfare is problematic for a variety of reasons including the interaction of factors affecting welfare and problems associated with defining or measuring welfare.
Farmers are under increasing pressure from consumers and supermarkets to address welfare issues during the production cycle. There is a need to establish a framework that will ensure good fish welfare and offer both consumer and producer a transparent and objective quality assurance system based on an understanding of the interactions between husbandry practices and a range of welfare indicators.