Scientific Alert Note

New SEAFOODplus integration on ethical aspects of cod farming

: Picture copyright: Fiskeriforskning

The ETHICOD project - testing ethical cod in a full value chain approach

Does good fish welfare lead to better quality of farmed cod? How do the consumers respond on information about ethical husbandry and slaughter of fish? Scientists want to find the answer by testing farmed cod that is produced in an ethically responsible way. In SEAFOODplus we had the possibility to follow the development of individual fish from small juveniles to slaughter, and afterward all the way to the consumer’s fork.

Authors: Børge Damsgård, Hilde Toften and Frank Gregersen, Fiskeriforskning, Tromsø, Norway

: The cod is stressed before slaughter. Photo: Fiskeriforskning

Introduction

From salmon farming, we know that handling before slaughtering, with pumping and handling, for example, stresses the salmon and leads to reduced quality of the fish meat. Cod farming is experiencing strong growth, and knowledge about production, quality and consumer requirements is thus important. In this experiment, the consumers tests two different groups of cod. One group was raised in so-called intensive production, which involves, amongst other things, a high density of fish and lower water consumption and therefore poorer water quality. The other group had the best possible conditions with good space and optimal water quality. At killing, the fish was handled in two different ways: it was stressed before killing, or it received gentle and calm treatment.

: Scientists Hilde Toften (Fiskeriforskning) and Rian Schelvis-Smit (IMARES) sampling for biological measurements after slaughter. Photo: Fiskeriforskning

What do the consumers think?

One of the purposes of the project is to get answers to whether this type of ethical production, where the cod is killed gently without stress, actually results in better quality. Several research institutions within SEAFOODplus are involved in the work to answer this question. This is a good example of an integrated approach where fish biologist, fish quality experts and consumer scientists work together towards the same goal. One of the aspects is to know more about how consumers react to these products. For example, will information about ethical treatment change the consumer behaviour and their expectations, perception and final experienced quality of the fish?

: Growth differences in ethical farmed cod. The red bar to the left represent mean specific growth rate (% day-1) in the untreated control groups during a 2 month experiment, while the two bars to the right have experience an increasing intensive rearing with high fish density and less specific water flow.

Poorer growth

In the project, the entire production process is documented up until the cod is eaten. The complete results will be available in the spring of 2007. But the conclusions from the phase when the cod were juveniles are ready. This part is focusing on the water quality and fish density during the early production period in tanks. It is evident that the growth was clearly poorer for the group that was raised intensively. The group that had optimal conditions had 20-30 % better growth. The physiological effects of intensive rearing could also be measured, and now the consequences of these effects on the later on-growing period in sea cages are investigated.

: Production of cod fillets before the consumer study. Photo: Fiskeriforskning.

Coordination

The idea behind the ETHICOD integration came from the scientists in project 5.2 ETHIQUAL and the activity is also coordinated by them. ETHICOD is a collaboration between RTD2, RTD4 and RTD5, covering research institutions in Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland.

For more information, contact Børge Damsgård, borge.damsgaard(at)fiskeriforskning.no, or Hilde Toften, hilde.toften(at)fiskeriforskning.no.