Cermaq introduces fish welfare policy

Cermaq has implemented a new fish welfare policy based on the framework and recommendations in the FishWell report. While Cermaq already reports on a broad set of fish health and welfare indicators, this is the first step towards developing KPIs for measuring fish welfare as defined in FishWell.

Cermaq wants its fish to thrive, grow and be healthy. A fish with good welfare is healthier, performs better and ultimately has better quality, which is essential for the productivity and sustainability of Cermaq’s farming operations.

In the FishWell report a wide group of scientists summarize the knowledge of fish welfare and recommend how this can be operationalized in production processes as well as in procedures for handling the fish. Cermaq has used these recommendations to enhance fish welfare throughout its operations.

Fish welfare depends on a range of biological and environmental factors. Cermaq continually strives to meet the needs of the fish, and constant improvement, research and innovation is a part of our company culture.

- A real change maker for monitoring fish welfare will only be seen when we move towards individualized farming. Then we can monitor and treat individual fish, not the entire stock in the pen. This is where iFarm provides a solution, says R&D Director Olai Einen

iFarm, when developed, can measure the external fish health and welfare parameters presented in FishWell. By sorting and treating individual fish, the welfare for all fish in the pen will increase and mortality rates will be dramatically reduced.