Outlining a practical approach to aquatic animal welfare

June, 2023

In a recent edition of Aqua Culture Asia Pacific magazine, FAI outlined the creation of its species-specific welfare indicators and tools for use by UK retailer M&S, helping to bring the welfare of aquatic animals to the same level of consciousness as their land-based counterparts.

Often felt less capable of experiencing pain, research has reversed this view with farmers seen as critical to improving welfare when able to assess it effectively.

Developed over the last four years, FAI’s Welfare Outcome Measure Programme gathers data to show how tilapia, carp and shrimp are impacted by different farming systems. The data includes body condition score, mortality rates and injuries across different growth stages during the production process.

By adopting an outcome measure approach, retailers such as M&S can collaborate with suppliers to identify risk areas and implement improvement initiatives, where required.

Find out more about the programme and how it works, by reading the full article here.