New thesis about lumpfish welfare

Magnus S. Berg has defended his Masters thesis "Comparing density of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) used in aquaculture to different welfare indicators." The aim of the study was to fill an existing knowledge gap that exists in the literature about the density of lumpfish, used in aquaculture, and compare the density with different welfare indicators.

The study establishes that the density is identical to that in wild lumpfish, and that various welfare indicators affect the density of the lumpfish. Also, findings indicate that different indicators, such as increased length and amount of food in the stomach, positively affect the fish' buoyancy, while high liver weight, relative to body weight, negatively affects the buoyancy.

Magnus S. Berg demonstrates that increased knowledge about how various indicators affect density can help the aquaculture industry to improve lumpfish welfare.

Magnus S. Berg studied at the University og Bergen (UiB), while the project was done in cooperation with P/F Fiskaaling. His academic supervisors at the University of Bergen were Albert Imsland and Gyri Haugland, while external supervisor was Kirstin Eliasen, head of department at Fiskaaling.