Aquaculture and Aquatic Animal Health

• helping provide a healthy and sustainable protein source for future populations • to reach this potential, a substantial increase in production is needed to ensure future demands for protein are met. • This increased production must be matched by significant reductions in environmental impact and improvements in resource efficiency

= The farming of aquatic organisms including fish, mollusc, crustaceans, reptiles, mammals and aquatic plants for commercial and recreational purposes

= Raising fish for commercial purposes, particularly for food

= The science of sourcing fish and other aquatic resources from natural environment for commercial and recreational purposes - wild fish

= Aquatic animals caught or farmed for human consumption in marine and freshwater settings

• Live in water, three dimensional environment that only can be visualise from the surface • External fertilization • Produce large number of eggs, early life is free living • Ectotherms (cold blooded) • Able to control physiology by selecting environment (in natural conditions • Maturation is affected by temperature, day length • Gender can be reversed - key sustainable farming

• Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors • In 2018 (live weight in) (FAO world fisharies and aquaculture) ~ Global fish production 179 million tonnes 2018 ~ World aquaculture production 114.5 million ~ expected to increase by a further 30 million tons by 2030 • Aquaculture accounted for 46 %total production and 52%percent of fish for human consumption • Fish is crucial to a nutritious diet in many areas across the world

• Fish farming can play a major role in; ~ feeding growing world population ~ meeting global food security • fish 1.15kg (chicken = 1.79, pig = 2.63, sheep = 6.30) • fish 86% (pig = 72, sheep = 65, chicken = 47)

• carbon footprint (kg CO2/kg edible meat ~ fish = 7.9kg ~ chicken = 6.2, pig = 12.2, cow = 39 • water consumption (litre/kg edible meat) ~ fish = 2000 ~ chicken = 4300, pig = 6000, cow = 15400

• Fish farming is a rapidly growing industry • The youngest animal farming sector in the UK • Total production in 2017 – 222, 249 tonnes, with value £590 million • Atlantic salmon dominates finfish production • It is a major player in the UK export economy • Provide valuable employment in rural sector (e.g. Highlands and Islands)

- Trout – rainbow trout and brown trout ~ food and recreational - Salmon – Atlantic salmon ~ most dominant species ~ for food (both salmonids) • Carp – common carp breeds, Koi carp and Crucian carp • Cleaner fish – wrasse and lump fish • Other species – Arctic char, ells, sea bass, cod, halibut

• Most farmed fish in the UK • Commercial production only started in late 80s • High impact on export economy • Dominated by larger multinational companies • Production sites are located in North West of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland • Total production during 2018 was 156,025 tonnes • Involve with fresh water and sea water stages

• Atlantic salmon farming method mimics fresh water sea water life cycle ~ Fish are artificially spawned ~ Fresh water - hatcheries and nurseries rear fry to pre-smolt ~ Sea water - stock smolt in net‐pens and rear on growing to harvest (2 years in the sea) • extensive systems allowed for increase risk infectious disease

• Advance feed technologies • improved diets (now only use 50% fish meal rather than 100%), alternative proteins • DNA based selection • Advance disease control strategies ~ Selection for disease control ~ Advances in vaccine productions ~ Alternative solutions for disease control (pre/probiotic, functional diets

• Eggs - clear, translucent • Aelvins - eggs hatch into aelvins and feed off yolk sac • Fry - young fish in 1st year • Parr - juvinille salmon in 2nd or 3rd year in freshwater • Smolts - young salmon leaving fresh water for 1st visit to sea (change physiological aspects to adapt to new water) • Grilse - young salmon that has spent one winter at sea before return to river • MSW (salmon) - multi sea winters fish (spent more than one year at sea) • Kelts - salmon that have spawned • Spring salmon - salmon just spent at least 2 years at sea and return to fresh water from jan-may to spawn the next autumn