List of Post-its with the challenges, solutions, opportunities and future aims, created during the lumpfish welfare workshop. The notes were used in the Delphi study. Picture by @SaraBarrento
The latest paper by Prof. Garcia De Leaniz and co-authors, published in Reviews in Aquaculture, was awarded the Sena De Silva paper honorific title.
The title is awarded to high-quality articles that excel in novelty and originality, with real-world applicability, keen focus on environmental sustainability, and social responsibility.
The study offers 16 practical solutions for improving the welfare of lumpfish and illustrates the merits of the Delphi approach for achieving consensus among stakeholders on welfare needs, targeting research where is most needed, and generating workable solution.
The workshop which led to this paper, was facilitated by Dr Sara Barrento and supported by 12 members of the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research, Swansea University. A total of 53 participants from three main stakeholder groups: fish farming, academia and animal welfare, followed a three step process to help identify what experts consider important to implement lumpfish welfare.
"It was great to see so many people from different aspects of the industry coming together: animal welfare advocates, producers, academics...which is good, because we've got many different opinions and ideas. Building awareness in welfare is something that isn't done very often, so it's great to see this all come together in a friendly constructive atmosphere", noted Daniel Philips, co-author of the paper and Ocean Matters production manager, during the facilitated workshop".
Check the workshop report to learn everything about the three step activities and the facilitation process.