Abstract

Farmed aquatic animals represent an increasingly important source of food for a growing human population. However, the aquaculture industry faces several challenges with regard to producing a profitable, ethical and environmentally sustainable product, which are exacerbated by the ongoing intensification of operations and increasingly extreme and unpredictable climate conditions. Fortunately, bio-sensors capable of measuring a range of environmental, behavioural and physiological variables (e.g. temperature, dissolved gases, depth, acceleration, ventilation, heart rate, blood flow, glucose and l-lactic acid) represent exciting and innovative tools for assessing the health and welfare of farmed animals in aquaculture. Here, we illustrate how these state-of-the-art technologies can provide unique insights into variables pertaining to the inner workings of the animal to elucidate animal-environment interactions throughout the production cycle, as well as to provide insights on how farmed animals perceive and respond to environmental and anthropogenic perturbations. Using examples based on current challenges (i.e. sub-optimal feeding strategies, sub-optimal animal welfare and environmental changes), we discuss how bio-sensors can contribute towards optimizing the growth, health and welfare of farmed animals under dynamically changing on-farm conditions. While bio-sensors currently represent tools that are primarily used for research, the continuing development and refinement of these technologies may eventually allow farmers to use real-time environmental and physiological data from their stock as 'early warning systems' and/or for refining day-to-day operations to ethically and sustainably optimize production.This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)'.

Keywords

telemetry; bio-logging; stress; climate change; smart-farming; precision fish farming

Published in

Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences
2021, Volume: 376, number: 1830, article number: 20200218
Publisher: ROYAL SOC

SLU Authors

• Gräns, Albin

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture


UKÄ Subject classification

Fish and Aquacultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0218

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/112752