Fish farming practices in the UK Flashcards
Aquaculture
• The farming of aquatic organisms including fish, mollusc, crustaceans, reptiles, mammals and aquatic plants for commercial and recreational purposes
Fish farming
• Raising fish for commercial purposes, particularly for food
Fisheries
• The science of sourcing fish and other aquatic resources from natural
environment for commercial and recreational purposes
Seafood
Aquatic animals caught or farmed for human consumption in marine and freshwater settings
Fish farming can play a major role in;
- feeding growing world population
* meeting global food security
Commercial fish farming industry in the UK
- Fish farming is a rapidly growing industry
- The youngest animal farming sector in the UK
- Total production in 2017 – 222, 249 tonnes, with value £590million
- 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)
Fish farming systems - classification
- Water conditions
- Type of structure
- Stocking density
- Number of species cultured
Water conditions
Salinity 1. Fresh water fish farming 2. Sea water fish farming (mariculture) • Traditionally in-shore or off shore • Now marine fish are cultured on-shore
Temperature of water
- Cold water fish farming <20oC
- Warm water fish farming >20oC
Type of structure and water flow
Water flow management • Static water • Flow through systems • Re-circulation systems Cages Raceways Ponds/lakes/ reservoirs
Stocking density
Extensive systems
• Minimum human intervention, low stocking density
•Semi-intensive systems
• Fish are with feed and Feed and fertilisation
• Intensive systems
• High stocking density, high level of input and management
Monoculture
• Culture of single species
• Polyculture
• Culture more than one species
Types of fish farmed in the UK
• Trout – rainbow trout and brown trout
• Salmon – Atlantic salmon
^ 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
Trout farming in the UK
- Around 290 small to medium scale trout farms
- Geography - Central and southern Scotland, south England and North Yorkshire
- Average yearly production – 17,000 tonnes
- table use and sports fishery
- Containment - freshwater tanks, ponds, raceways, pens and marine pens
- Semi-intensive rearing practice
- Rearing conditions
- Clean water supply and flow • dissolved oxygen >8mg/L
Production of trout
Using artificial breeding, hatcheries produce ova and milt from brood stock
Eggs are reared to produce fry Diploid trout
Triploid trout
Once fry become fingerlings they are sold on to producers to growing into restocking or table trout.
Atlantic salmon
- 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 – life cycle
Ova Alevins Fry Parr Smolt Adult Salmon
Salmon farm structures
Atlantic salmon farming method mimics fresh water sea water life cycle
• Fish are artificially spawned
• Freshwater-hatcheries and nurseries rear fry to pre-smolt
• Seawater-stock smolt in net‐pens and rear on growing to harvest (2yearsinthesea)
Carp farming
- Carp is a popular coarse fish in the UK
- Hardy fish, gain weigh fast and can tolerate different water conditions
- Farmed extensively in purpose built or natural water bodies
- In hatchery phase they are farmed intensively
Cleaner fish farming
Sea-lice infestation is the biggest threat salmon production
• Cleaner fish offers an attractive alternative biological method to the use of chemicals or medicines
Lumpfish or lumpsuckers
- Small marine fish of the family Cyclopteridae.
* They are found in the cold waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.
Role of vets in aquaculture
- Diagnosticians and clinicians
- Health managers and farm managers
- Research and development (vaccines, feed, treatments)
- Training and teaching
- Government animal health control
Fish farming in the UK
- Non-traditional animal farming sector
- Dominated by Scottish Atlantic salmon industry
- Had a rapid growth influencing export economy in the UK
- Other industries include trout and carp
- Compared to other sectors produce large numbers of animals, welfare status become paramount
