Aquaculture and Aquatic Animal Health

Question 1

Potential of aquaculture

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

aquaculture def

Answer 2

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

Question 3

fish farming def

Answer 3

= Raising fish for commercial purposes, particularly for food

Question 4

fisheries def

Answer 4

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

Question 5

seafood def

Answer 5

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

Question 6

How fish differ from terrestrial farm animals

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

Global aquaculture industry

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

fish as a source of food

• role
• feed conversion ratio compared to farmed land animals
• harvest yield compared to farmed land animals

Answer 8

• 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)

Question 9

fish as a source of food
- climate smart inductry compare land animals
~ carbon footprint
~ water consumption

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

commercial food fish farming industry in the uk

Answer 10

• 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)

Question 11

Types of farmed fish in UK

Answer 11

- 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

Question 12

Atlantic salmon

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

Salmon farm structures

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

Advances in salmon farming sector

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

Atlantic salmon life cycle

Answer 15

• 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