rspca04

Slide1: 

To kill a fish: The methods used, and the link between quality and welfare at slaughter

Why is fish welfare important?: 

Why is fish welfare important?

Why is fish welfare important?: 

Fish feel pain – a debatable point Good welfare = good quality and good market perception Good quality = increased yield Increased yield = increased profits Good welfare also = good quality and good market perception Improved market perception = increased profits Why is fish welfare important?

Gaping: 

Gaping

Rigor Index Rested vs Normal harvest: 

Rigor Index Rested vs Normal harvest

Farmed vs Wild: 

Farmed vs Wild This is a big debate in many areas but not often regarding welfare. There seems to be an imbalance in attention to welfare for farmed fish (perhaps because dwindling stocks is a more pressing issue for wild fisheries) It is likely that wild fish will eventually encounter more welfare pressures

Which fish are farmed for food?: 

Which fish are farmed for food? Marine Salmonids Tuna Seabass, seabream and other sparids Yellowtail Flatfish – turbot and halibut Barramundi Red drum, grouper and other serranids etc Freshwater Trout Catfish Carp and other cyprinids Eels Tilapia and other cichlids Silver perch etc

Welfare & Flesh Quality at Harvest: 

Welfare & Flesh Quality at Harvest Historically, the early development of fish farming focussed on adapting fish biology to aquatic technology This was followed by feed development, feed management, and product quality Gradually, an understanding developed that good welfare was beneficial not only throughout the growout period but right up to and including the slaughter process. Salmon Industry representatives worked with RSPCA in the UK to develop Welfare Standards for Farmed Atlantic Salmon. These form the basis of the Freedom Food Scheme.

How are fish harvested?: 

How are fish harvested? Options: Exposure to air Ice slurry/live chilling tanks Bleeding (Exsanguination) Carbon dioxide Electrostunning Ike Jime (Spiking) Percussive stunning Anaesthesia Or combinations of the methods above

CO2 Stunning: 

CO2 Stunning Widely used Rapid Low labour requirement Quality loss implications Welfare issues

CO2 stunning issues: 

CO2 stunning issues Quality gaping, softness, reduced time to rigor, intense rigor, shelf-life reduction Welfare Aversive behaviour, pain

Exsanguination alone: 

Exsanguination alone This is done by tearing or cutting one or both gill arches and leaving the fish to bleed to death. The method results in convulsive movements and muscular spasms which continue for a considerable time (not unlike some CO2 processes). Mythology surrounding live bleeding and the beating heart for thorough bleedout Obvious welfare issues.

Live chilling – horizontal system : 

Live chilling – horizontal system Concept: Cooling fish to reduce state of activity for bleeding process, reduce stress Issues: Temp. shock stress, rate of temp. decline, state at bleeding, often in combination with CO2

Live chilling – vertical system: 

Live chilling – vertical system

Ike jime: 

Ike jime Baader 141 – automated ‘stab machine’, incorporates bleeding Manual delivery Considerable accuracy required, not consistent Strong muscular twitching after death Project shelved

Tuna manual ike jime process: 

Tuna manual ike jime process

Electro-stunning: 

Electro-stunning Feb 2000 - Fish destined for slaughter no longer need to suffer. ARE Norway have finished developing a system for slaughtering of fish that is based on electro-shock. Research reveals that the fish does not exhibit any response at all after the electro-shock. The fish must be harvested within the next five minutes otherwise it regains consciousness. This method of slaughtering fish ensures both quality and durability.

Electro-stunning : 

Electro-stunning Rapid, welfare friendly Low labour requirement Unproven technology Bloodspotting and haemorrhage problems Trout, eel, sturgeon, tuna electro-stunners also developed.

ARE 2nd prototype: 

ARE 2nd prototype

Anaesthesia – Rested Harvest: 

Anaesthesia – Rested Harvest CO2 (low residue, problematic in practice) AQUI-S (eugenol, clove oil derivative, Food Grade) AQUI-S Issues: Quality potential Environment Flavour taint Govt restrictions After 40h storage at 2 C the tensile strength of ‘rested’ salmon muscle was 2.7 times that of the exhausted muscle, retaining its immediate post-capture strength.

AQUI-S: 

AQUI-S

Slide23: 

Issues: Bruising Staff welfare (ULD and contact related injuries Fish welfare good but problems with poorly trained and/or tired staff. Manual percussive stunning

Manual Percussive stunning: 

Manual Percussive stunning

FAWC Report Recommendations 1996: 

FAWC Report Recommendations 1996 Staff employed in the killing of fish must have the knowledge and skill to perform the task humanely and efficiently regardless of the method employed as required by the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995. Fish must be stunned or killed before their blood vessels (gill arches) are severed for bleeding and when stunned remain insensible until death supervenes. When the percussive method is used, the blow must be of sufficient force for the fish to be immediately rendered unconscious and for it to remain so until dead. Those undertaking slaughter, e.g. by percussive stun or kill, must not continue if they become tired and inefficient. Particular care should be taken when large fish are slaughtered using percussive stun or kill. Further research is needed on the method of stunning and killing salmon, especially to find a satisfactory method of mechanical stunning or killing and alternatives to carbon dioxide as an anaesthetising or killing agent.

Mechanised Percussive Stunning Options: 

Mechanised Percussive Stunning Options Developed: Stanzas stun-bleed Salmo stun-bleed Innes Walker stun-bleed In Industry Operation: MT4 benchtop stunner SI~5 flow-through system

Salmo Humane Slaughtering Machine: 

Salmo Humane Slaughtering Machine

Slide28: 

MT4 Stunners

Marine Harvest in Partnership with Seafood Innovations Scoop Alastair Mews Award 2002: 

Marine Harvest in Partnership with Seafood Innovations Scoop Alastair Mews Award 2002 The Alastair Mews awards recognize those making an outstanding contribution to farm-animal welfare. Marine Harvest, in partnership with an Australian company, Sea Food Innovations, won this year's award for developing a machine that kills fish quickly, efficiently and accurately, thereby reducing stress on the fish. This is a major improvement over other methods. The stunner has already been introduced across all the company's Scottish farms, and it is currently being installed into their farms in Chile, Canada, Norway and Ireland.

MT4 Chile: 

MT4 Chile

Where to from the MT4?: 

Where to from the MT4? 3 main issues identified Dry period from dewaterer to stunner Fish can slip past stunners to bleed table Manual handling of fish

SI~5 Auto Stunning System: 

SI~5 Auto Stunning System

Why have Standards?: 

Why have Standards? You can have the best machines in the world but unfortunately that is not the end of the process.

Stunning Red Meat Animals Guidelines: 

Stunning Red Meat Animals Guidelines Animals must not be subjected to avoidable excitement, pain or suffering Anyone carrying out stunning and sticking must have the knowledge and skill necessary to perform the task humanely and efficiently At every premises there must be a member of staff responsible for safeguarding animal welfare Always: ensure that an effective stun is achieved keep stunning equipment maintained and clean have available a reserve stunning instrument in good working order for the immediate use in case the first stunning instrument fails to operate effectively stun injured animals without delay Handle animals in a manner which will allow stunning, hoisting and sticking to take place without delay complete all operations on one animal before the next is handled if working alone stun adult cattle in a stunning or restraining pen which is in good working order always bleed without delay after stunning Never: leave animals waiting in stunning pens place an animals in a stunning pen unless the person who is carry out the stunning is ready to do so immediately Stun an animal unless you are sure you can apply the stunning instrument correctly stun an animal unless it is possible to for it to be stuck without delay use electrical stunning equipment for the purposes other than stunning animals tie the legs of the animal or suspend it by the legs before stunning

RSPCA Welfare Standards for Farmed Atlantic Salmon: 

RSPCA Welfare Standards for Farmed Atlantic Salmon Fish must be killed without any unnecessary distress or discomfort. Pre-slaughter crowding and handling must be kept to an absolute minimum. Personnel involved in slaughter must be thoroughly trained and competent to carry out the required tasks.

RSPCA Welfare Standards for Farmed Atlantic Salmon: 

RSPCA Welfare Standards for Farmed Atlantic Salmon 1.1 - maximum fast period of 72 hrs, unless beneficial for welfare 1.2 - minimal pre-slaughter handling and crowding 1.3 - Transport prohibited unless agreed with RSPCA 1.4 - Farmed fish must be humanely killed 1.5 – The method of killing used must rapidly, and without pain and distress, render the fish insensible, until death supervenes. Etc, etc

Pre-slaughter Crowding: 

Pre-slaughter Crowding Crowd Intensity – A simple fish behaviour scale from 1-5 should be used as a guide to acute stress, i.e.: Goal 1. Occasional fins breaking the surface of the water with no vigorous activity over less than half of the surface area of the crowd Undesirable 2. Fins and part of the fish above the water over the whole surface of the crowd. 3. Fins and part of the fish above the water over the whole surface of the crowd. Some burrowing, gasping and vigorous activity in parts of the crowd. 4. The whole surface of the crowd vigorously burrowing, gasping and splashing. 5. Whole surface of the pen boiling with violent splashing.

Pre-slaughter Crowding: 

Pre-slaughter Crowding Crowding Process - Crowding of fish for pumping onto harvest tables by sweep net or splitting the cage net should be undertaken in a gradual manner so as not to cause any aversive or vigorous swimming at any time, such that the fish are constantly maintained in a ‘rested’ state (Number 1 on behaviour scale). Crowd Duration – Fish should not be crowded for longer than 1 hour and care should be taken in order to select the appropriate number of fish within the crowd for this period of time. Responsibility – There should be one trained person from the site monitoring and controlling the crowd intensity at all times during harvesting. Hose \ Pump Diameter – A minimum of 10 inch diameter pipe is desirable. Air lift pumps - Compressor size – should be at least 180 cfm capacity or equivalent, with at least two air injection points. Dissolved Oxygen Level – A suitable oxygenation backup system should be readily available if fish show signs of hypoxia.

Welfare legislation: 

Welfare legislation Apart from some EU countries and attempts to use existing terrestrial guidelines, the main controls are various Codes of Practice and Standards Most pressure comes from buyers which in turn are affected by consumers STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS KEPT FOR FARMING PURPOSES (T-AP) WELFARE RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING FARMED FISH

Are these fish species currently being slaughtered humanely?: 

Are these fish species currently being slaughtered humanely? Marine: Salmonids Tuna Seabass, seabream and other sparids Yellowtail Flatfish – turbot and halibut Barramundi Red drum, grouper and other serranids etc Freshwater Trout Catfish Carp and other cyprinids Eels Tilapia and other cichlids Silver perch Sturgeon etc

Slide41: 

One possible harvest process for the future fish swim into stunner, gut, fillet, pinbone, pre-rigor cryogenic freeze (N2), portion/saku blocks, vacuum pack, freezer container (-65 oC), transport to market.