FAI Academy launches their certificated cleaner fish course, with the next session being held in October

FAI Academy has launched an online cleaner fish course providing a certificated Continuing Professional Qualification in biology, rearing, farm deployment, and health and welfare of cleaner fish on fish farms.

Image credit: Aquaculture Courses

Within the aquaculture sector cleaner fish have become an established technique to control sea lice numbers, several companies have reported good results with wrasse and lumpfish alone and combining the use of the two species was underlined at the SAIC International Wrasse Conference held in May 2021.

The conference also emphasised the use of dedicated cleaner fish staff on each farm and highlighted this as a major factor in success of biological control, both in efficacy and in improving conditions and maintaining condition of cleaner fish in sea pens. 'A training gap due to Covid-19 was identified, and training regimes were stressed as one of the drivers for improvement.'

The Cleaner Fish Course, led by Jim Treasurer, aims to teach the best technical practice and highest welfare procedures for cleaner fish. It is run entirely online through the FAI Academy platform and includes webinars and Q&A sessions.

Topics covered in the 12 units comprise of:

• A background to sea lice and control
• The biology of the main cleaner fish species wrasse and lumpfish
• Best practice for rearing of cleaner fish
• Deployment and acclimation of both wrasse and lumpfish
• The welfare and health of cleaner fish in the hatchery and in sea pens
• Technical standards for the stocking of cleaner fish

The course also covers managing the wrasse fishery, shipping cleaner fish, cleaner fish stocking in all salmon producing countries including other promising cleaner fish candidates, and finishes on the economics and business plan for cleaner fish use.

'There are knowledge gaps in cleaner fish rearing and use. We have been working on a course to give farm, technical staff, managers, students and regulators a Continuing Professional Qualification in all aspects of cleaner rearing, welfare and deployment. We are hoping that this gives a fuller understanding of cleaner fish biology and methods of improving survival and welfare during capture, hatchery rearing, transport and deployment on farms.'

The objective is to make the technique sustainable and to improve efficacy in controlling sea lice numbers. Mr Treasurer was formerly research director at the Ardtoe marine hatchery where both wrasse and lumpfish were reared and, prior to that, was a regional fish health manager with Marine Harvest.

The next session of 'Cleaner Fish: Biology rearing and farm deployment' will start October 27 2021 and is recommended for anyone working in hatcheries and sea cage farms, support and technical staff, managers, regulators, and aquaculture students.

For more information about the course visit the link, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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