Salmon is the most valuable fish in the world, with a harvest of 2.2 million tonnes of salmon (approximately 1 billion head of fish ) producing USD$15.4bn annually.
The Aquatic Animal Health Code sets global standards for improving aquatic animal health and welfare. Members use these standards to prevent, detect, and control diseases in aquatic animals.
Public concern for fish welfare in European aquaculture is growing, prompting farmers, authorities, and scientists to develop criteria and practices to safeguard cultured fish welfare.
Farmed fish welfare is a priority for animal advocates due to its neglect, massive scale of suffering, and potential for effective interventions to drive improvement.
Fish are valuable research subjects, serving as indicators of environmental health and suitable models for physiological and biomedical studies due to their unique adaptations.
The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) Code development process was followed in the development of this Code of Practice. The Codes of Practice are nationally developed guidelines for the care and handling of farm animals.