Animal Welfare and Ethical Implications in Finfish Aquaculture
The ethical implications of aquaculture,regarding fish welfare and environmental aspects were investigated.The aquaculture industry has grown substantially the last decades,both as a result of the over-fishing of wild fish populations,and because of the increasing consumer demand for fish meat.As the industry is growing,a significant amount of research on the suhject is being conducted,monitoring the effects of aquaculture on the environment and on animal welfare.Although the existence of fish sentience is still debated,most biologists are at present acknowledging the probability of fish being sentient creatures of welfare concern.The areas of concern when it comes to animal welfare have here been divided into four different stages: breeding period; growth period; capturing and handling; and slaughter.Current aquaculture practices are affecting fish welfare during all four of these stages,hoth on physical and mental levels,as well as on the ability of fish to carry out natural hehaviours.The effect fish farming has on the environment is here separated into five different categories: the decline of wild fish populations; waste and chemical discharge; loss of hahitat; spreading of diseases; and invasion of exotic organisms.There is evidence of severe negative effects on the environment when looking at these five categories,even when considering the difficulty of studying environmental effects,due to the closely interacting variables.
Gunnarsson,S Bergqvist,J
Dept.of Animal Environment and Health Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences(SLU),P.O.Box 234,S-532 23 Skara,SWEDEN
国际会议
XVIth International Congress on Animal Hygiene(第十六届动物卫生国际会议(ISAH 2013))
南京
英文
39-41
2013-05-05（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）