Introduction
This abstract introduces two documents developed to support the European Commission’s (EC) “Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030”. The two documents are the result of a desk study and an extensive consultation process with scientific experts and stakeholders including the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC).
Methodology
The “Good Husbandry Practices for aquaculture ” document was developed by the EU Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism (AAM) through extensive data collection. It is a desk study and a literature review on published reports and peer-reviewed papers on EU and international regulations, standards and industry guidelines. In addition, an online survey targeting EU member states and the AAC, yielding 21 responses was conducted. Expert input was gathered through a cluster meeting with relevant EU-funded project representatives and AAM Board of Ambassadors members, leading to a second survey with 4 additional contributions and the identification of criteria for prioritizing information sources. Bilateral meetings were held with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) , the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeder (EFFAB) , experts from the “Comité National de la Conchyliculture” (CNC) , and a workshop with member state experts was organized by the E uropean Commission . Furthermore, technical seminars with member state aquaculture experts and feedback from various associations and experts contributed to the document. The final good husbandry practices (GHPs) selection prioritized concrete industry examples, standards, and relevant project results.
The document on “Code of Good Practices on fish welfare and fish welfare indicators” was developed based on the “Document on Good Husbandry Practices” published on the EU aquaculture website in 2024 and the EU AAM’s work on fish welfare good practices and indicators based o n relevant data collections . This involved desk research and literature reviews published by international organizations on standards, and industry guidelines from EU member states, Norway, and the UK. Furthermore, an online survey targeting these countries and relevant stakeholders yielded 36 responses. The preliminary findings were then discussed and refined through an expert consultation meeting with representatives of relevant EU-funded projects and AAM Board of Ambassadors members, and the final document was reviewed by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) and experts from the European Union Reference Centre for Welfare of Aquatic Animals (EURCAW-Aqua).
Document “Good husbandry practices for aquaculture”
This document systematically outlines a range of critical husbandry practices essential for maintaining and enhancing the health and welfare of farmed aquatic animals throughout their production cycles. This extends beyond the explicitly mentioned "environmental enrichment (EE)," "functional feed (FF)," and "selective breeding (SB)" in the EU’s “Strategic Guidelines for Aquaculture 2021-2030” , encompassing fundamental aspects such as feeding regimes (optimizing quantity, rate, and distribution), handling procedures (minimizing stress and physical trauma), mortality management (efficient and hygienic removal), fallowing strategies (disease and parasite control), predator mitigation (prioritizing non-lethal methods), biosecurity protocols (minimizing escapes and disease transmission), water quality management (maintaining species-specific parameters), stocking density optimization (balancing welfare and production), disinfection and cleaning protocols (disease prevention), and prophylactic and therapeutic interventions (vaccination and treatments under veterinary supervision). These multifaceted topics are evaluated through the prism of the widely recognized five welfare domains: nutritional adequacy, environmental quality, health status, behavioral expression, and overall mental state, with the overarching aim of ensuring a high standard of life for farmed aquatic organisms. It systematically maps and compiles a non-exhaustive repertoire of general and species-specific good husbandry practices (GHPs) pertinent to the welfare and health of key European aquaculture species across diverse production methodologies. This compilation, encompassing species such as Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio), Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar), European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), Mussels ( Mytilus spp)., and cleaner fish (Labrus bergylta and Cyclopterus lumpus) aims to provide practical support to operators in meeting and potentially exceeding fundamental legal obligations concerning animal health, welfare, and environmental impact, with a commitment to future updates incorporating additional good practices and relevant indicators. Chapter 4 presents 40 general GHPs and Annex II provides species-specific GHPs for the following species : Common Carp: 19 , Rainbow trout: 22 , Atlantic salmon: 27 , European sea bass: 20 , Gilthead Sea bream: 24 , Mussels: 8 , Ballan wrasse: 6 , Lumpfish: 10.
Code of good practices on fish welfare and fish welfare indicators
This document serves as a complementary resource to the first GHP document. It delineates non-species-specific best practices for the welfare of farmed fish and the indicators employed in its assessment throughout various ontogenetic stages and production techniques. Developed through a collaborative effort between the EU AAM and the EURCAW-Aqua, this Code functions as a practical and accessible guide for aquaculture producers. Its focus is deliberately restricted to explicit welfare considerations, excluding aspects of fish health. The document details specific good practices related to these topics, feeding, handling, grading, water quality (including physicochemical and microbiological parameters), stocking density, mortality removal, and transport (pre-transport, loading/unloading, and during transport), totaling seventy-three distinct practices aimed at improving fish welfare in aquaculture. The document provides detailed expositions of each GHP topic, elucidating its significance for animal well-being. Chapter 4 outlines general, non-species-specific good practices for fish welfare in aquaculture, addressing topics from the preceding chapter. Th is Code introduces in Chapter 5 thirteen general, non-species-specific indicators relevant to the key husbandry topics. These indicators are crucial for monitoring animal well-being during critical production phases, including rearing, transport, and slaughter, enabling evidence-based evaluation of current practices and the implementation of targeted improvements. The document reviews existing scientific efforts and tools for welfare assessment, emphasizing the ongoing need for standardized, technology-driven, and universally applicable monitoring protocols to enhance the reliability and comparability of welfare evaluations across the EU aquaculture sector.
Conclusion
Both documents are fundamentally aligned with the objectives of the EU’s “Strategic Guidelines for Aquaculture 2021-2030” , sharing a common goal of augmenting the sustainability and competitiveness of the European aquaculture sector through evidence-based guidance derived from broad stakeholder engagement. The "Good Husbandry Practices" paper provides species-specific recommendations for health and welfare management, whereas the "Code of Good Practices" offers overarching, non-species-specific principles and indicators specifically for fish welfare, representing a concerted effort towards elevating animal welfare standards and fostering responsible practices within the European aquaculture industry.