FAI has unveiled a free online training course, Tilapia Behaviour and Welfare Indicators: from foraging to humane slaughter, designed to enhance tilapia welfare and sustainable fish farming globally.
Available on FAI Academy, the course targets aquaculture professionals, including fish farmers and veterinarians, offering practical insights to assess tilapia behaviour, identify welfare indicators and adopt humane slaughter methods.
“This course equips farmers with actionable skills to monitor and improve fish welfare, enhance productivity and promote ethical food production,” said Dr Sara Barrento, FAI’s e-learning and aquaculture program manager.
Tilapia Welfare Project
Key topics of the course include behavioural indicators such as swimming and foraging patterns, stress management before slaughter and humane slaughter techniques.
The idea is that by focusing on fish welfare, farmers can achieve higher meat quality, improved farm reputation and achieve greater sustainability.
The course is part of FAI’s broader Tilapia Welfare Project, which seeks to improve the lives of farmed tilapia worldwide through science-based resources.
Complementing the course, FAI offers the Tilapia Welfare Assessment App, a tool to assess welfare indicators across nutrition, environment, behaviour and health.
“Improving tilapia welfare not only ensures healthier, thriving fish but also boosts farm profitability and sustainability. This course is a vital step toward advancing welfare practices across the aquaculture sector,” added Dr Barrento.
The Tilapia Behaviour and Welfare Indicators course can be accessed for free via the FAI Academy website.
