Articles tagged with 'Farmed fish'

The RSPCA Standard for farmed Atlantic salmon focusses on ensuring good farming practices, fish handling, husbandry and management. For good fish welfare, fish have space to swim normally in oxygen-rich water and can school with other fish, they are handled in a low stress manner and are slaughtered humanely.

There are two main methods of catching Atlantic salmon for slaughter. Fish can be removed from their marine pens through large pipes and transferred to specialised slaughter boats that sit alongside the pen.

In 2022, global production of aquatic animals through aquaculture (51%) exceeded capture fisheries production (49% of total production) for the first time. With reduced abundance of wild caught fish stocks and increasing demand for seafood, this percentage is likely to increase in the future.

Salmon are carnivorous and their formulated feed contains fish meal as a source of protein and fish oil as a main source of lipids and essential fatty acids. Fish meal and fish oil is obtained from wild-caught species of small ocean fish (e. g.

Current scientific evidence demonstrates that fish are sentient animals, capable of experiencing pain and suffering. Salmon have a natural lifespan of between 3 to 8 years. Born in freshwater and living their adult lives at sea, but then returning to their freshwater birthplace to spawn.

In Tasmania, farmed Atlantic salmon may be vulnerable to attack by seals and sea birds. Maintaining good fish welfare by protecting farmed Atlantic salmon from predators, such as seals and sea birds is critical to the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme standards.

Compliance with regulatory requirements in relation to environmental impact management and monitoring is a prerequisite of all producers wishing to be certified to an RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme Standard.