Summary of the impact

This research programme has provided convincing evidence that fish perceive pain and has been instrumental in directly informing changes to experimental protocols and influencing welfare guidelines.

We use fish in a variety of ways — for food, farming, experimentation, as public exhibits, in recreational angling and as pets. Many of the procedures that fish are subjected to cause tissue damage that would give rise to the sensation of pain in mammals. This research programme uses techniques in neurobiology, physiology and animal behaviour to discover how the fish are affected by these procedures. This has not only improved the welfare of fish, but also influenced how the public views these animals through media dissemination.

Summary of the impact

Disease severely limits the expansion of aquaculture. Studies on the immune control of infection have led, in association with industry, to the promotion of disease control utilising 03b2-glucan feed supplements. Knowledge has, via Keele Water, informed infection control strategies used by UK fish farmers. Studies have provided a legacy of young scientists trained by industry and supported by European funding. Advances made have been embraced in the education of veterinarians in Germany and fish production in Eastern Europe. Close collaboration with government bodies and learned societies has ensured that the work has been recognised by policy makers within the fisheries sector.