Farmer perception of fish welfare in rainbow trout farms

This preliminary study aimed to assess farmer perceptions of on farm welfare in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as for potential welfare indicators, risk factors, and corrective measures based on their experience and evalutation. A structured questionnaire covering five areas—farm data, management, on farm welfare, welfare at slaughtering, and perception at the wholesale level—was administered through interviews with 11 breeders man aging a total of 23 farms in northeastern Italy, where 70% of Italian trout production occurs. The collected data underwent a descriptive analysis and were then categorized based on welfare criteria, risk factors, and corrective measures following the four welfare principles: Good Housing, Good Feeding, Good Health, and Appropriate Behaviour. Potential welfare indicators were abnormal behaviours (as for species-specific behaviour, swimming, social behaviours, human-fish relationships), performance, clinical signs of illness and mortality. The interviewed farmers identified trout welfare as influenced by both uncontrollable external factors (light, noise, piscivorous birds) and controllable environmental conditions (tank bottom, water flow, water quality) (Good Housing); as well as feed composition (proportion of vegetable ingredients), pellet type (sinking or floating), feeding frequency (Good Feeding); and fish health status (lesions and diseases) (Good Health). Risk factors for Appropriate Behaviour are related with those identified in the previous principles. In view of developing on farm welfare assessment protocols, the validity, repeatability and feasability of the welfare indicators used by the farmers should be tested under field conditions.