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European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) is an aquaculture species with the potential for expanded cultivation in the fresh and brackish waters of Northern Europe. Yet, relatively little species-specific information is available regarding the stress responses and associated welfare implications for this species in captivity. We addressed this knowledge gap by using a combination of implantable heart rate bio-loggers and a range of traditional stress indicators (e.g. haematological parameters and plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose and ions) to comprehensively evaluate the physiological responses of freely swimming whitefish in captivity, as well as when subjected to aquaculture practices and stressors that commonly occur prior to and during slaughter. Whitefish appeared to recover rapidly from surgery, as resting heart rate decreased within 36 h to stabilize at ~25 beats min−1 for the next 18 days when fish were left relatively undisturbed (i.e. personnel were only present when feeding fish). In contrast with previous studies on farmed rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, whitefish did not exhibit a clear circadian heart rate rhythm, which may be related to species-specific differences in diurnal locomotor activity. Whitefish also appear to have a well-developed capacity for thermal acclimation of heart rate, as daily resting heart rate did not change during the undisturbed period despite an increase in body temperature from ~6.8 to 11.2 °C. Following acute stressors such as crowding and transportation, the physiological response of whitefish typically involved transient elevations in heart rate, plasma cortisol and glucose, and red blood cell swelling, while plasma [K+] decreased. In contrast, the heart rate of whitefish plummeted following the combination of brailing (i.e. to haul in fish with a brail/net) and CO2 exposure prior to slaughter, while plasma cortisol, glucose and [Ca2+] significantly increased. An unforeseen finding concerns the substantial and long-lasting physiological stress response observed in whitefish when held in close proximity (i.e. within ~10 m) to a rainbow trout net pen, as the mean heart rate of whitefish increased from ~32 to 43 beats min−1 (i.e. an increase of ~34%). This may represent an innate physiological response to the threat of predation, which consequently increases the allostatic load and energetic expenditure of whitefish when farmed alongside salmonids. To conclude, this study highlights the importance of performing long-term, species-specific evaluations of freely swimming fish in real aquaculture settings, and provides a platform for further research aiming to determine the welfare implications of simultaneously farming predatory and prey species in close proximity.
P. Hjelmstedt; J. Brijs; C. Berg; M. Axelsson; E. Sandblom; J.A.C. Roques; H. Sundh; K. Sundell; A. Kiessling; A. Gräns. Continuous physiological welfare evaluation of European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) during common aquaculture practices leading up to slaughter. Aquaculture 2020, 534, 736258 .
AMA StyleP. Hjelmstedt, J. Brijs, C. Berg, M. Axelsson, E. Sandblom, J.A.C. Roques, H. Sundh, K. Sundell, A. Kiessling, A. Gräns. Continuous physiological welfare evaluation of European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) during common aquaculture practices leading up to slaughter. Aquaculture. 2020; 534 ():736258.
Chicago/Turabian StyleP. Hjelmstedt; J. Brijs; C. Berg; M. Axelsson; E. Sandblom; J.A.C. Roques; H. Sundh; K. Sundell; A. Kiessling; A. Gräns. 2020. "Continuous physiological welfare evaluation of European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) during common aquaculture practices leading up to slaughter." Aquaculture 534, no. : 736258.
The sustainability of future finfish aquaculture needs to be improved to meet global environmental challenges. Global fish aquaculture production has expanded significantly recently, due to the increased demand for fish for human consumption. Therefore, it is important to mitigate challenges to the sustainability of the sector, such as pollution and depletion of natural resources. In this study, we systematically mapped the scientific literature on farm-level sustainability in fish aquaculture. The concept of sustainability was considered holistically, covering its economic, environmental and social dimensions, each consisting of a range of different aspects that may contradict or reinforce each other. Literature published between January 2000 and August 2020 with the geographical focus on Europe, Northern America and Australia–New Zealand was included. The search resulted in a total of 287 hits, but after the exclusion of articles that did not match the scope, only 17 papers remained for the systematic mapping. Of these, five papers covered all three dimensions of sustainability. Economic sustainability was addressed in 10 papers, environmental sustainability in 13 papers and social sustainability in 12 papers. This systematic mapping provides an important foundation for discussions and prioritisations of future actions to increase knowledge on farm-level sustainability in finfish aquaculture.
Stefan Gunnarsson; Katarina Segerkvist; Torun Wallgren; Per Hjelmstedt; Ulf Sonesson; Helena Hansson. Systematic Mapping of Research on Farm-Level Sustainability in Finfish Aquaculture. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9985 .
AMA StyleStefan Gunnarsson, Katarina Segerkvist, Torun Wallgren, Per Hjelmstedt, Ulf Sonesson, Helena Hansson. Systematic Mapping of Research on Farm-Level Sustainability in Finfish Aquaculture. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (23):9985.
Chicago/Turabian StyleStefan Gunnarsson; Katarina Segerkvist; Torun Wallgren; Per Hjelmstedt; Ulf Sonesson; Helena Hansson. 2020. "Systematic Mapping of Research on Farm-Level Sustainability in Finfish Aquaculture." Sustainability 12, no. 23: 9985.
A two‐part experiment was conducted to determine whether visual indicators of consciousness such as equilibrium, eye‐roll reflex and ventilation are reliable for evaluating whether CO2 stunning of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is humane. In part 1, the time taken until the loss of visual indicators in rainbow trout during CO2 stunning was monitored under field conditions at 14, 8 and 2°C. Here, we clearly demonstrate that it takes longer for visual indicators to disappear as temperature decreases, with significant differences in the time taken until the loss of equilibrium between 2 and 14°C, and significant differences between all temperatures in the time taken until the loss of eye‐roll reflex and ventilation. In part 2, rainbow trout were equipped with external non‐invasive electrodes for recording EEG prior to, and following, CO2 stunning to assess the presence or absence of visually evoked responses (VERs), which are indicative of brain function and sensibility. The resulting EEG recordings during CO2 stunning at 10°C demonstrated a poor relationship between visual indicators of consciousness and loss of sensibility, as VERs were present up to 3.5 min after ventilation was lost and up to 6.5 min after the fish lost equilibrium. Collectively, these results show that cold‐water temperatures prolong the time taken until loss of consciousness and that visual indicators are insufficient for determining when sensibility is lost in rainbow trout during CO2 stunning.
Jennifer Bowman; Nicole Van Nuland; Per Hjelmstedt; Charlotte Berg; Albin Gräns. Evaluation of the reliability of indicators of consciousness during CO 2 stunning of rainbow trout and the effects of temperature. Aquaculture Research 2020, 51, 5194 -5202.
AMA StyleJennifer Bowman, Nicole Van Nuland, Per Hjelmstedt, Charlotte Berg, Albin Gräns. Evaluation of the reliability of indicators of consciousness during CO 2 stunning of rainbow trout and the effects of temperature. Aquaculture Research. 2020; 51 (12):5194-5202.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJennifer Bowman; Nicole Van Nuland; Per Hjelmstedt; Charlotte Berg; Albin Gräns. 2020. "Evaluation of the reliability of indicators of consciousness during CO 2 stunning of rainbow trout and the effects of temperature." Aquaculture Research 51, no. 12: 5194-5202.
Bio-logging devices can provide unique insights on the life of freely moving animals. However, implanting these devices often requires invasive surgery that causes stress and physiological side-effects. While certain medications in connection to surgeries have therapeutic capacity, others may have aversive effects. Here, we hypothesized that the commonly prescribed prophylactic treatment with enrofloxacin would increase the physiological recovery rate and reduce the presence of systemic inflammation following the intraperitoneal implantation of a heart rate bio-logger in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). To assess post-surgical recovery, heart rate was recorded for 21 days in trout with or without enrofloxacin treatment. Contrary to our hypothesis, treated trout exhibited a prolonged recovery time and elevated resting heart rates during the first week of post-surgical recovery compared to untreated trout. In addition, an upregulated mRNA expression of TNFα in treated trout indicate a possible inflammatory response 21 days post-surgery. Interestingly, the experience level of the surgeon was observed to have a long-lasting impact on heart rate. In conclusion, our study showed no favorable effects of enrofloxacin treatment. Our findings highlight the importance of adequate post-surgical recovery times and surgical training with regards to improving the welfare of experimental animals and reliability of research outcomes.
Per Hjelmstedt; Henrik Sundh; Jeroen Brijs; Andreas Ekström; Kristina Snuttan Sundell; Charlotte Berg; Erik Sandblom; Jennifer Bowman; Daniel Morgenroth; Albin Gräns. Effects of prophylactic antibiotic-treatment on post-surgical recovery following intraperitoneal bio-logger implantation in rainbow trout. Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 1 -9.
AMA StylePer Hjelmstedt, Henrik Sundh, Jeroen Brijs, Andreas Ekström, Kristina Snuttan Sundell, Charlotte Berg, Erik Sandblom, Jennifer Bowman, Daniel Morgenroth, Albin Gräns. Effects of prophylactic antibiotic-treatment on post-surgical recovery following intraperitoneal bio-logger implantation in rainbow trout. Scientific Reports. 2020; 10 (1):1-9.
Chicago/Turabian StylePer Hjelmstedt; Henrik Sundh; Jeroen Brijs; Andreas Ekström; Kristina Snuttan Sundell; Charlotte Berg; Erik Sandblom; Jennifer Bowman; Daniel Morgenroth; Albin Gräns. 2020. "Effects of prophylactic antibiotic-treatment on post-surgical recovery following intraperitoneal bio-logger implantation in rainbow trout." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1: 1-9.
Jennifer Bowman; Per Hjelmstedt; Albin Gräns. Non‐invasive recording of brain function in rainbow trout: Evaluations of the effects of MS‐222 anaesthesia induction. Aquaculture Research 2019, 50, 3420 -3428.
AMA StyleJennifer Bowman, Per Hjelmstedt, Albin Gräns. Non‐invasive recording of brain function in rainbow trout: Evaluations of the effects of MS‐222 anaesthesia induction. Aquaculture Research. 2019; 50 (11):3420-3428.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJennifer Bowman; Per Hjelmstedt; Albin Gräns. 2019. "Non‐invasive recording of brain function in rainbow trout: Evaluations of the effects of MS‐222 anaesthesia induction." Aquaculture Research 50, no. 11: 3420-3428.