HABs' effects cause health and welfare issues for farmed fish.
Lantra
Land and environmental training body Lantra has launched a new training programme to address the challenges of harmful algal blooms (HABs) through standardised operating procedures. The UK organisation already informed about its plans to develop this initiative in March 2025.
The online course, now available to anyone working in the aquaculture sector, will help producers mitigate the effects of HABs, which cause health and welfare issues for farmed fish.
The climate change working group of Scotland's Farmed Fish Health Framework has developed the procedure, which includes the steps required for sampling and identifying a list of target species, recording the level of risk using a traffic light system, and the necessary calculations for reporting.
"Improved access to information can then inform early warning systems and treatment options, helping farmers to adapt to a changing climate and ultimately improve the outcomes for their fish," detailed Lantra Aquaculture Head Jillian Couto-Phoenix.
According to Couto-Phoenix, the first to show interest in benefiting from this initiative have been global companies, trout producers, and Scottish salmon farms.
"Using HABs as the base, we can now develop new programmes quickly and reach people all over, particularly those in more rural and remote locations who can participate without needing to travel or take time out from work," he assured.
Among the creators of the programme are the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Additionally, representatives from Salmon Scotland, Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms, Loch Duart, Bakkafrost, SAMS Enterprise, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) contributed to the development of the course content.
Finally, funding has been provided by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the UK Seafood Fund: Skills and Training Scheme.
"Proactive monitoring of the environment for harmful algae is crucial in protecting farmed fish, and having a dedicated training course and standard operating procedures will improve monitoring and reporting. The format and content of the course should enable farmers all over the country to benefit, which is a positive for both farmers and fish," concluded RSPCA Senior Scientific & Policy Officer Aquaculture Sean Black.