The Tilapia Welfare Project, another of ESR's fish welfare projects in Africa.
Photo: FAI Farms & Ethical Seafood Research (ESR).
The African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and Ethical Seafood Research (ESR) have jointly released a factsheet on Aquatic Animal Welfare in Africa, highlighting the importance of fish welfare in sustaining healthy ecosystems, ensuring sustainable fisheries, and promoting responsible aquaculture.
The factsheet emphasizes the need for proper care and ethical treatment of aquatic animals to maintain the ecological balance and sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture practices.
It also points out that protecting aquatic animal welfare is crucial for the conservation of Africa's aquatic biodiversity, and calls for the development of comprehensive and up-to-date standards and regulations to ensure humane and ethical treatment.
The factsheet also discusses the economic benefits that prioritizing aquatic animal welfare can bring, in reducing disease and the need for treatments such as antibiotics.
AU-IBAR and ESR also stress the importance of education and awareness-raising among stakeholders with the aim of promoting a culture of responsible practices towards aquatic animals, and say they invite collaboration and collective action to achieve this.
ESR recently announced a separate fish welfare-focused initiative in partnership with FAI Farms, the Tilapia Welfare Project, which seeks to raise awareness of ethical treatment among Egypt's tilapia producers.
