Genetic modification (GM) of farm animals started in the early 1980s. Most research on GM farm animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and goats) has been carried out in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Some GM animals have been produced to aid food production but there are also…
In a world first, a sheep named Dolly was born in 1996. She was a clone of her mother, created using the genetic material from a cell in the ewe’s udder. Dolly sparked an intense public debate on cloning. In response, a year later, a high-level report on the Implications…
Chick hatching programs occur most commonly at kindergartens and in prep/foundation and lower primary school grades. A chick hatching program is where a school is delivered fertile eggs which hatch a couple of days after arrival. Classrooms are supplied with an incubator, brooding box, food and substrate/bedding for the chicks….
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. anchovies, sardines) and from processing waste (trimmings)…
Just as with other farmed vertebrates such as cattle, sheep and poultry, the humane slaughter of fish requires that fish are handled carefully and effectively stunned (causing immediate insensibility) prior to being bled out. Unfortunately, traditional methods of killing fish do not meet these requirements. Farmed fish are still commonly…
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. During…
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. Alternatively, fish are transferred to large ‘well boats’ that transport fish directly to slaughter or to holding…
In 2022, global production of aquatic animals through aquaculture (51%) exceeded capture fisheries production (49% of total production) for the first time [1]. With reduced abundance of wild caught fish stocks and increasing demand for seafood, this percentage is likely to increase in the future. Aquaculture is seen as an…
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. Fish are vulnerable to stress, injuries and mortalities as…
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. For aquaculture to be sustainable, there is a need to balance, rather than trade-off, the welfare of farmed fish and protection…