Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The welfare of farmed hybrid striped bass remains largely unaddressed in U.S. aquaculture, despite the species' economic significance and the scale of production. Physical handling during grading and inspection not only causes stress and increased incidence of injury, but also results in unmarketable fish and significant financial loss for producers. To address these issues, we present a prototype system that uses directed water currents to leverage the fish's natural rheotactic behavior, enabling directed movement between tank regions without the need for direct physical contact. Our design allows for early identification of malformed individuals, who otherwise face prolonged suffering and starvation, so they can be humanely culled. In a small pilot study, we observed that fish moved into the destination region more frequently and with less behavioral variability when exposed to a directed current, suggesting this method as a viable alternative to traditional handling. While the system requires further refinement and testing at scale, these preliminary results offer a promising step toward ethical, commercially viable, and low-stress fish sorting systems in commercial aquaculture.
Source: Animals
DOI: 10.3390/ani15202961
Authors: Alex Raposo, Benjamin Reading, Mike Frinsko, David L. Roberts
Institution: North Carolina State University
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4415170226