We have the honour to invite you to a stakeholder dialogue on a new tool for assessing the “farmability” of fish species, developed by the research group of
FishEthoBase, the fish ethology database.
In parallel to the full profiles on the ethology of species, presented in summer 2015, our team has now established a short profile format based on a reduced set of 12 core criteria for fish welfare, following an idea of FishBase coordinator Dr. Rainer Froese.
While the initial target of the short profiles was to cover a higher number of species in a shorter time, we soon got aware of what can be gained at the same time: a rough assessment of the “farmability” of a species, i.e. its aptitude for farming while the welfare of the fishes is respected.
So far, 12 species have been assessed based on scientific findings. Please go to: http://fishethobase.fair-fish.net/en/ethology pick any of the species listed and then select “short profile” in the top menu.
We are looking forward to your critical comments and suggestions which will hopefully reach us before 15 April 2017. Subsequently we will evaluate
all your feedbacks in an internal workshop on April 18, together with some external experts. (One seat is still free, should you be interested in participating, in Zurich.)
(Let me apologise to the ones who have been waiting for the launch of the short profiles since end of last year. We gave however highest priority to thorough internal and external reviews due to which the criteria and the format of the short profiles underwent two major changes before we accepted them as ready for use.)
To outline the background of what we are doing: The main intent of FishEhoBase is to improve fish welfare by checking if and to which extent the practice
in farming of a species withstands the needs and behaviour patterns observed in the wild, and which ethologically based recommendations for improvement
could be given to practitioners.
The farmabilty indices of the various species may help to decide on which species one should best concentrate research, development, and investments in
order to put the industry in a position to positively answer the upcoming fish welfare demands.
(For more background, please select General notes on top of each short profile.)
Your feedback will be appreciated either simply via e-mail to ethology@fairfish. net or – demanding prior registration – directly to the criterion concerned
by clicking on the “Comment” button. We will be able to read you in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
As a dialogue participant you will receive a summing up of all feedbacks as soon as evaluated. On behalf of our research group, I thank you for taking interest in our initiative which addresses both academia and field.
Kind regards
Billo Heinzpeter Studer
President fair-fish international
Project Director FishEthoBase Research Group
www.fair.fish.net