The lead author of the article is Sandra Ljósá Østerø, with co-authors Jessica Di Toro, Eydna í Homrum, Esbern Patursson, and Kirstin Eliasen.
Researchers at Firum have published a new scientific article titled “Using a length-weight relationship based on wild lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) for the estimation of body condition of lumpfish in salmon cages” in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
This article explores how the body condition of lumpfish, used as cleaner fish in the aquaculture industry, can be better assessed. As lumpfish are widely used to control sea lice infestations in salmon farming, it is crucial to have accurate and reliable methods for evaluating their welfare to take timely action when necessary.
The authors demonstrate that using a length-weight relationship of wild lumpfish as a standard provides a more accurate estimation of the body condition of lumpfish in salmon cages, compared to previously used methods. This new approach can detect more underweight and emaciated lumpfish, which were previously undetected. The findings can offer an improvement in the ability to monitor and enhance the welfare of lumpfish in salmon cages.
The research was conducted in collaboration with the Faroe Marine Research Institute (Havstovan), Hiddenfjord and Mowi.
For further details, you can access the full article on the PLOS ONE website
