Anglia Ruskin University

Team:
Dr Toby Carter and Dr Andrew Smith

Collaborators:
Dr Anne Spiess

Project description:
There is a growing interest in the welfare of fish which are kept in ever greater numbers for aquaculture, research and as pets. Increasingly fish are being recognised as being on a par with mammals and birds in aspects of their behavioural abilities and responses; there is mounting evidence that they have the capacity to feel pain and to suffer. They have been shown to be capable of complex feats of learning in a wide range of contexts; from this we may expect them to suffer in much the same way as other vertebrates if kept in barren or otherwise un-stimulating environments. Consequently there is a great need to understand more about the behavioural needs of fish, and the effect of the environments that they are kept in on their welfare.

Funding:
Animal & Environmental Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.
National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)
Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA)

Publications

Martins, C I M, Galhardo, L. Noble, C, Spedicato, M.T., Zupa, W., Beauchaud, M, Kulczykowska, E, Massabuau, J-C., Carter, T, Planellas, S R, Damsgård, B and Kristiansen, T (submitted) Behavioural indicators of farmed fish welfare. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry.

Smith AC & Gray H (In press) Goldfish in a tank: the effect of substrate on foraging behaviour in aquarium fish. Animal Welfare

Spiess, A (2010) The Welfare of Aquarium fish: The effects of the aquarium environment on the behaviour and welfare of black Ghost Knife Fish, Apteronotus albifrons. PhD Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University.

Broom, D.M., Müller-Graf, C., Roberts, R., Taranger, G.L., Damsgård, B., Kadri, S., Hastein, T., Sneddon, L.U., Carter, T., Afonso, A., Grudnik, T. & Candiani, D. (2008) Scientific Report on animal welfare aspects of husbandry systems for farmed Atlantic salmon Annex I to The EFSA Journal (2008) 736, 2-122.

Carter, T.J. (2003) Steam position choice in salmon parr: maximisation of foraging efficiency. Journal of Fish Biology 63 (Supp. A): 228

Wardle, C.S., Carter, T.J., Urquhart, G.G., Johnstone, A.D.F.J., Ziolkowski, A.M., Hampson, G. and Mackie, D. (2001) Effects of seismic airguns on marine fish. Continental Shelf Research. 21 (8-10): 1005-1027.

Wardle, C.S., Carter, T.J., Urquhart, G.G., Johnstone, A.D.F.J., Ziolkowski, A.M., Hampson, G. and Mackie, D. (1998) The sound of a triple 'G Seismic airgun and its effects on the behaviour of marine fish. Fisheries Research Services Report 10/98 19 pp.

Carter, T.J. and Hall, C.D. (1998) The effects of seismic exploration and underwater explosions on marine life: a bibliography. Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen Report No. 3/98 28 pp.

Smith, G.W., Johnstone, A.D.F., Shearer, W.M. and Carter,T.J. (1997) The behaviour of adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in a Borland lift fish pass as determined by underwater television observations. Fisheries Research Services. Fisheries Research Services Report 10/97 12 pp.

Carter, T.J., Smith, I.P. and Johnstone, A.D.F. (1997) A Review of Fish Capture Methods for Salmon Research. The Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department. Fisheries Research Services Report 5/97 16 pp.

Carter, T.J. (1994) The effects of substrate diversity on the behaviour of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Ph. D. Thesis, University of Aberdeen. 133 pp.

Lucas, M.C., Urquhart, G.G., Johnstone, A.D.F. and Carter, T.J. (1992) A portable 24-hour recording system for field telemetry: first results from continuous monitoring of heart rate of adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) during the spawning migration. In Wildlife Telemetry: Remote monitoring and Tracking of Animals (ed. I.G. Priede and S.M. Swift), pp 466-473. Ellis Horwood, New York.

Johnstone, A.D.F., Lucas, M.C., Boylan, P. and Carter, T.J. (1992) Telemetry of tail-beat frequency of Atlantic salmon (S. salar L.) during spawning. In Wildlife Telemetry: Remote monitoring and Tracking of Animals (ed. I.G. Priede and S.M. Swift), pp 456-465. Ellis Horwood, New York.

Conference papers:
Spiess, A., Carter, T. & Broom, D (2009) Signalling louder or higher?: Changes in the weak electric organ discharges of black ghost knife fish in response to stress. Laboratory Animal Science Association, Winter Meeting, West Midlands 25th - 27th November 2009.

Smith AC; Gray H (2009) Goldfish in a tank: effect of substrate on foraging behaviour. 30th International Ethological Conference, Rennes, France

Spiess, A., Carter, T. & Broom, D (2009) Signalling louder or higher?: Changes in the weak electric organ discharges of black ghost knife fish in response to stress. Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, Easter Meeting, Cardiff.

Carter, T (2007) Do Fish feel Pain? University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine: Research Seminar November 2007

Spiess, A., Carter, T. & Broom, D (2006) Do the electric organ discharges of black ghost knife fish (A. albifrons) serve as indicators for the fish's welfare status? VII International Congress on the Biology of Fish. St John's, Newfoundland, July 2006

Spiess, A., Carter, T. & Broom, D (2005) Electrical noise in the aquarium environment: effects on the behaviour of the black ghost knife fish Apteronotus albifrons. Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, Winter Meeting, London.

Spiess, A., Carter, T. & Broom, D (2005) Sensory masking as a welfare issue in the aquarium environment: communication and navigation in electric fish. International Society for Applied Ethology. Winter Meeting, Cambridge.

Spiess, A., Carter, T. & Broom, D (2005) Sensory masking as a welfare issue in the aquarium environment: communication and navigation in electric fish. Compassion in World Farming. Winter Meeting, London.
Carter, T. & Garrod, B (2005) Welfare of Aquarium Fish. Animal Welfare Group, Dept. of Agriculture, Research Seminar, UBC, Vancouver.

Carter, T. & Garrod, B (2004) Animal Welfare in the Sensory Environment: The Case of Electric Fish. AWHAI Group Research Seminar, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge University.

Carter, T. (2003) Stream position choice in salmon parr (Salmo salar): maximisation of foraging efficiency. FSBI International Symposium, UEA Norwich.

Undergraduate Research Projects:
Gray H (2009) Goldfish in a tank: the effect of substrate on foraging behaviour in aquarium fish. Undergraduate Research Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University.

Urwin, M (2009) The effects of shelters and habituation on the shoaling behaviour of zebra danios (Danio rerio) in a laboratory environment. Undergraduate Research Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University.

Shoesmith, B. (2008) Quantifying public aquaria acoustics: identifying sources and their effects on the behaviour of a typical display species, the blue runner (Caranx crysos) Undergraduate Research Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University.

Castell, A (2007) The effectiveness of biological filtration systems for ornamental aquaria. Undergraduate Research Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University.

Garrod, B (2005) Investigating the effects of electrical aquarium equipment upon the welfare of a weakly electric fish, the Black Ghost Knife Fish (Apteronotus albifrons). Undergraduate Research Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University.