Welfare Boat
In this scenario you will recognise normal behaviour and appearance in salmon and learn about common diseases and parasites, and carry out work in line with animal welfare regulations.
Good husbandry to promote fish welfare includes farming at locations with good quality water and oxygen content, stocking the cages in low densities, protecting the fish from predation and disease, and carrying out environmental monitoring. Fish welfare can be monitored by checking for scale loss, observing gill health and performing lice counts.
The goal of this scenario is for the player to understand how salmon are physically inspected for certain health issues and how this is done in a safe and ethical manner.
Salmon lice check
Salmon lice check
- Sea lice infestation can lead to reduced salmon welfare and lower productivity at farm level through low feed efficiency or growth reduction.
- Control measures include in-feed medication, fresh water baths, physical removal, and biological control using cleaner fish.
Salmon gill health check
Salmon gill health check
- The gills of salmon are responsible for many physiological processes relevant to the maintenance of fish health including respiratory function.
- Caused by amoeba, parasites, viruses, bacteria, plankton and algae, symptoms include white spots and eventual deterioration of the gill tissue.
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Salmon scale loss check
Salmon scale loss check
- Scale loss is a key welfare indicator in salmon and may look like dark patches on the skin.
- Handling procedures may be a cause in addition to netting abrasion due to overcrowding.
- This may weaken the physical barrier which protects the salmon from parasites.
General salmon health check
General salmon health check
- Weighing and measuring of salmon is important for monitoring the growth and development of the fish.
- The condition factor of the salmon can be calculated by dividing the fish weight by the fish length cubed, then multiplying the result by 100.
- You will have a chance to complete this task in the laboratory scenario of the "Blue Sector VR" app.
Anesthetising the salmon
Anesthetising the salmon
It is unethical and stressful for salmon to be handled while conscious, they must therefore be anesthetised before a physical health check is performed. In the game the user will be tasked with administering no more than 30 ml of benzocaine for every 100 litres of water.
If the fish are exposed to too much anesthetic or are anesthetised for too long this also has negative consequences including stress and decreased survival rates.
The physical health check should be completed within 5 minutes, and the salmon should be placed in the clean water of the recovery tank as soon as its condition has been assessed.