WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2025 35 importance of using natural references when developing welfare indicators and management strategies for farmed lumpfish. By continuously refining husbandry practices based on wild lumpfish insights, farmers can enhance survival rates, optimize feeding efficiency, and improve the overall well-being of lumpfish in salmon cages. As long as lumpfish remain non-domesticated, using wild lumpfish as a benchmark continues to be a valuable approach. Their natural biological traits offer key insights into health, growth, and behavior, guiding the development of welfare indicators suited to farmed populations. Notes Sandra Ljósá Østerø,* and Kirstin Eliasen, Department of Fish Health, Firum, Halvik, Faroe Islands. * Corresponding author: sandra@firum.fo References Eliasen K, Danielsen E, Johannesen Á, Joensen LL, Patursson EJ. “The cleaning efficacy of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) in Faroese salmon (Salmo salar L.) farming pens in relation to lumpfish size and seasonality.” Aquaculture 488 (2018): 61-65. Eliasen K, Patursson EJ, McAdam BJ, Pino E, Morro B, Betancor M, Baily J, Rey S. “Liver colour scoring index, carotenoids and lipid content assessment as a proxy for lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) health and welfare condition.” Scientific Reports 10, no. 1 (2020): 8927. Engebretsen S, Aldrin M, Lunde L, Austad M, Rafoss T, Danielsen OR, Lindhom A, Boissonnot L, Jansen PA. “Condition factor tailored to lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) used as cleaner fish in salmonid farms”. Aquaculture Reports. 2024;35:101996. Gutierrez Rabadan C, Spreadbury C, Consuegra S, de Leaniz CG. “Development, validation and testing of an Operational Welfare Score Index for farmed lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L)”. Aquaculture. 2021; 531:735777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. aquaculture.2020.735777 Johannesen Á, Eliasen K, Jacobsen Á and Mortensen AM. “Lumpfish & AkvaNest. Impact on welfare and cleaner fish efficiency (FHF project 901781)”. Firum rit 2024-13. Østerø SL, Di Toro J, í Homrum E, Patursson EJ, Eliasen K. “Using a length-weight relationship based on wild lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) for estimation of body condition of lumpfish in salmon cages.” PloS one 19, no. 11 (2024): e0310924. PHOTO 3. Incorporating body condition standards based on wild lumpfish can help farmers detect underweight or emaciated cultured lumpfish. Photo by Kirstin Eliasen. PHOTO 4. Research comparing wild and farmed lumpfish has been used to assess differences in nutritional requirements, feeding behavior and natural shelters. Photo by Kirstin Eliasen. PHOTO 5. In salmon cages, lumpfish consume not only sea lice but also formulated feed, biofouling organisms, and seasonally available zooplankton. Photo by Sandra Ljósá Østerø. PHOTO 6. Wild lumpfish. Photo by Kirstin Eliasen.
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