Aquaculture

Aquaculture Biosecurity and Disease Welfare

Effective biosecurity in aquaculture prevents disease outbreaks that cause mass mortality and individual suffering, requiring rigorous protocols across the production cycle.

Key Facts

Disease outbreaks are the leading cause of welfare crises in commercial aquaculture
Infectious salmon anaemia, koi herpesvirus and white spot disease cause major production losses
Biosecurity includes fallowing, disinfection, staff hygiene and controlled stock movement
Surveillance and early detection enable treatment before widespread suffering occurs
Site-level and regional biosecurity coordination reduces disease spread across farm clusters

Welfare Considerations

Biosecurity failures lead to mass suffering and mortality in farmed fish. Investment in prevention is both a welfare imperative and sound economic practice.

What You Can Do

Support certification schemes requiring robust biosecurity protocols in aquaculture
Advocate for nationally coordinated aquaculture disease surveillance programmes
Choose aquaculture products from producers with transparent biosecurity standards