KEY AQUATIC ANIMALWELFARE RECOMMENDATIONSFOR AQUACULTURE
AAA.FISHCONTACT@AAA.FISH

AQUATIC ANIMAL
ALLIANCE

FOREWORD

This document is intended to provide an overview of what the
Aquatic Animal Alliance, having consulted with experts globally,
has identified as key areas where welfare intervention is mostneeded for animals used in aquaculture. Information about
more detailed and species-specific recommendations can befoundinthe

extendedversionofthistextand

theaccompanying references.

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OUR CONCEPT OF WELFARE
The best available evidence clearly establishes that many commonly farmed
aquatic animals, who have been excluded historically from the animal welfare
1discourse, have a capacity to suffer that is analogous to terrestrial animals. For
this reason, the welfare of farmed aquatic animals should be given the same
scrutiny and concern as that of other farmed animals, and their welfare in farmsystems must be reassessed at the individual level, not just as a batch.
The Five Freedoms model of welfare, which is the standard for all terrestrial
farmed animals, must also apply to aquatic animals. It is our position that in order
to experience a ‘life worth living,’ each animal must have:1
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Freedom to access sustenance that sustains health andvigour,
Freedom to live in an appropriate environment thatenables and does not impair wellbeing,

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Freedom to live in an environment that prevents

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Freedom to live with sufficient space, and with such5

disease and does not expose to undue risk of injury,
and have diseases rapidly and appropriately treated,companionship and materials required to express
natural behaviours,
Freedom to live in conditions that promote good
psychological health, and avoid mental suffering.

1 “Pain in aquatic animals” Sneddon, L, Journal of Experimental Biology” 2015
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Usually formulated as ‘freedom from-’, we have rearticulated these freedoms as ‘freedom to-’.

2OUR CONCEPT OF WELFARE
Recent research shows that many aquatic animals are capable of both positive
and negative physical and psychological experiences. Thus, standards set by
AAA will include both positive and negative welfare parameters in order toprovide aquatic animals the developmental opportunities required for a true
allostatic “life worth living” rather than focusing merely on freedom from the worst
3forms of suffering.

A welfare-based approach to aquaculture must consider every life-stage of theanimals being farmed, as well as the wellbeing of all other species used in theirproduction. This includes cleaner fish, animals used for feed, and all other sentient
beings involved in the supply chain.
Concern for the welfare of all animals used in aquaculture must be maintained
across the life span, from breeding, through birth, to slaughter and to all otheranimals used in production. This must include broodstock, juveniles, cleaner fish,animals used for feed, and all other sentient beings involved in the supply chain

Standards should be specific to species, life stages,and holding environments.

3 Positive Welfare for Fishes: Rationale and Areas for Future Study” Fishes 2019, 4, 31. Fife-Cook, I.; Franks, B. -“Positive animal welfare states and encouraging environment-focused and animal-to-animal interactivebehaviours” (Mellor, 2013)- “A review of animal welfare assessment, focusing on ‘positive’ welfare” Mellor, 20153

THE 5 PILLARS OF AQUATICANIMAL WELFARE
1. ENRICHED ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Enrichment is one of the most neglected areas of farmed aquaticanimal welfare. In order to express their natural behaviors, aquatic animals must
be provided with an environment that meets their species-specific ethologicalneeds in a way which is analogous with how they would prefer to live in theirideal habitat.
2. FEED COMPOSITION & FEEDING

It’s hard to predict exactly how many animals are fed to other animals, as they vary
so greatly in size and species composition. The Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) estimatesconservatively that 1.2 trillion aquatic animals are used every year in the farming
supply chain.

4, 5Animals used for feed are individuals with their own welfareconcerns. As sentient beings, the number animals used for feed in the supply chain
should be minimized in order to reduce suffering, including reduction and eliminationof terrestrial, aquatic, and insect animal ingredients. Species that are smaller in sizeand have a larger individual-to-weight ratio, such as insects and krill, should neverbe used as feed. To this end, producers where possible must move toward the useof alternative feed products, higher feed efficiency ratios (while maintaining goodnutrition and health), and the substitution of carnivorous farmed species withherbivorous species, extractive species, and systems where animals and their feed
are coproduced.
Appropriate feeding is critical for good welfare. Insufficient amounts of feed, orfeed in unavailable forms (e.g. excessively large pellets or feeding in a location
where smaller fishes are outcompeted) can result in poor health and welfare.
Providing too much feed can cause poor water quality, which in turn will affecthealth and welfare. Producers should strive to provide appropriate feed
formulations in appropriate amounts that are available to all fishes in the farm.
Starvation periods should only be used when absolutely necessary and whenadvised by a vet, with 72 hours as the absolute maximum.
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Borthwick et. al. "'Blue Loss', estimating how many aquatic animals are hidden in the food system", Aquatic Life
Institute, (2020). Available at: https://tinyurl.com/BlueLoss
5 See Estimate of numbers of fishes used for reduction to fishmeal and fish oil, and other non-food purposes,each year 1. Overview 2, Mood & Brooke. 2019. “4THE 5 PILLARS OF AQUATICANIMAL WELFARE
3. SPACE REQUIREMENTS & STOCKING DENSITY

Stocking density levels appropriate for species and life stage must be maintained
to avoid negative physical, psychological, and behavioral impacts. Producers
should strive to increase the total swimmable water volume per individual toreflect the species needs.

4. WATER QUALITY

Key water quality parameters—including but not limited to oxygen and carbon
dioxide levels, pH, temperature, turbidity, salinity, ammonia and nitrate—should
be monitored continuously or at least once a day. Water quality assessments
must be coupled with an action plan in case poor water quality is detected.

5. STUNNING & SLAUGHTER

All animals must be effectively stunned before slaughter. It is highly
recommended to follow the World Organization for Animal Health's 'AquaticAnimal Health Code' (2010). The method used for stunning should be adequate
for each species and shall render the aquatic animal immediately and fully
unconscious (i.e. within one second by a scientifically-validated method) and notjust immobilize the animal. Death must be induced without consciousness
recovery. All stunning and slaughter equipment must be calibrated appropriately
for the specific species and animal size to be processed, in order to achieve
immediate and irreversible stun.
In order to minimize the risk of consciousness being recovered, time elapsed
between stunning and slaughter must be minimized. Concurrent methods ofstunning + slaughter (e.g. via electrocution) are preferred, but processes which
are stun followed by immediate decapitation are acceptable. Asphyxiation in ice,the use of salt, CO2, or ammonia baths shall not be used.
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ADDITIONAL CONCERNS
Transport & Handling
Where handling is absolutely necessary, it shall be carried out with minimum
stress and disturbance for both the aquatic animals handled and any otheraquatic animal present. Handling should occur for the shortest time possible,
and anaesthetic must be applied if handling is expected to exceed a few
seconds. In all new facilities, slaughter must occur on site to reducetransportation and handling. Where this is not possible, transport and handlingprior to slaughter must be as limited as possible.

Health: Medical Treatment Including Parasite Management,
Routine Mutilations & Antibiotics
Farmed aquatic animals are often exposed to disease and parasites. In orderto minimize the effects on welfare, effective prevention strategies should
always represent a first line of defence against disease and parasites. The
methods used for removal of parasites must conform to rigorous scientificwelfare documentation, and steps must be taken to reduce the adverse
effects on the welfare of all animals used in this process (for instance, thewelfare of cleaner fish used for the treatment of sea lice). When vaccination isnecessary, it shall be done with minimal distress and with the animal
anesthetized, performed only by certified veterinarians or adequately trained
animal health professionals. AAA opposes the routine or prophylactic use ofantibiotics. However, we do not oppose the metaphylactic use of antibiotics
when absolutely necessary to ameliorate the suffering of captive animals. 6

Welfare Indicators & Adequate Training
Welfare indicators used to monitor the above must be specific to species,
lifestage and holding environment. The current best practice, evidence-based
behavioral and physiological welfare indicators, must be used. On-farmprotocols evaluating the psychological aspects of welfare must be required assoon as they are scientifically validated and available. All staff must beadequately trained to implement and monitor the above standards.

6 We also oppose the use of antibiotics deemed critically importantfor human medicine by the World Health Organization.

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ADDITIONAL CONCERNS
Data-Driven Approach
All these recommendations must respond to the best available science, andproducers should actively seek to expand and share knowledge of bestpractices in aquatic animal husbandry. Availability of data on the wellbeing ofanimals is in the public interest, including data generated in private facilities.
All farms must record and retain records of disease, treatments, transport,
mortality rates, and causes of mortality for all animals in their care, and must
use these records actively to further improve conditions within theirproduction.

Predator Killings & Impact on Wildlife
Lethal predator control techniques should not be used on any species,
regardless of whether they are listed as threatened or endangered. Harmfulor lethal measures to control predators should be banned, and the use of
preventative measures should be promoted. Every effort must be made toensure the biosecurity of the farm, including the prevention of diseasetransmission as well as genetic dilution of wild fish stocks.

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SIGNATORIES
Aquatic Life InstituteAnimal Equality
Compassion in World Farming
Dyrevernalliansen
Essere Animali
Fish Welfare Initiative
The Humane League
Mercy for Animals

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