April 20, 2020

Salmon gill disease treatment is focus of Scottish research team

A Scottish research group has embarked on a project that aims to enhance fish health by significantly improving the global aquaculture sector's understanding and treatment of gill disease.

The researchers - coming from salmon farmer Scottish Sea Farms, Marine Scotland Science, the University of Aberdeen, BioMar and the Stirling University-based Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) - will explore the geographical, temporal and nutritional factors that affect salmon's gill health across sites in Scotland and Tasmania, Australia.

Dr Ralph Bickerdike, head of fish health at Scottish Sea Farms, stressed the crucial role that gills play in the overall health of a fish, saying that "the more we can learn about how best to protect these vital organs the bigger the advances we can make to further improve welfare and increase survival rates".

"What's exciting about this latest collaborative research project is that it takes a holistic view, exploring not just the key factors affecting the gills but also how they might impact on one another, helping us to identify the best growing conditions for farmed fish health."

Gill health has become one of aquaculture's biggest challenges because of the warming seas and the progressive de-oxygenation of water caused by climate change. 

Prof. Samuel Martin of the University of Aberdeen School of Biological Sciences said that in recent years there is a realisation that new research in gills needs to be carried out, particularly in marine stage salmon. "This project, working directly with industry will help define how gill health varies between farm sites and at different times of the year. The outcomes will lead to better understanding and early warning for gill health issues", he said.

Caroline Griffin, aquaculture innovation manager at SAIC, echoed Martin, saying that the project "is about finding a way of using the vast amounts of data collected to create the right balance of conditions for salmon, enhancing their resilience.

"On top of that, the development of biomarkers and new feeds could act as a significant boost to fish health and well-being, and our overall understanding of this complex disease", she added.