Prosjektnummer
900590
Sustainable disease control strategies in salmon farming: Decision support integrating economic, environmental and social dimensions (SALMODIS)
Summary of results from the final report
Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project has addressed the needs for improved knowledge and tools for decision support related to disease management in salmon farming. The project group has studied the constraints of control strategies and the dynamics and varying effects of diseases on a local pen and farm level, and on a regional level between farms and wild populations.
In Norwegian
Sammendrag av resultater fra prosjektets faglige sluttrapport
Den tverrfaglige prosjektgruppen har søkt å utvikle kunnskap og verktøy til støtte for myndigheter og industri i å evaluere rammebetingelser og vurdere mulige strategier for sykdomskontroll med tanke på deres økonomiske, økologiske og sosiale virkninger.
Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project has addressed the needs for improved knowledge and tools for decision support related to disease management in salmon farming. The project group has studied the constraints of control strategies and the dynamics and varying effects of diseases on a local pen and farm level, and on a regional level between farms and wild populations.
In Norwegian
Sammendrag av resultater fra prosjektets faglige sluttrapport
Den tverrfaglige prosjektgruppen har søkt å utvikle kunnskap og verktøy til støtte for myndigheter og industri i å evaluere rammebetingelser og vurdere mulige strategier for sykdomskontroll med tanke på deres økonomiske, økologiske og sosiale virkninger.
Resultatene er fordelt på tre hovedområder:
1) Kunnskap og verktøy for å forstå, forutsi og vurdere lokal sykdomsutvikling, med vekt på lakselus. Ulike modeller er utviklet for å simulere og studere effekter av leppefisk, resistens, temperatur, ekstern infeksjon til anlegg med mer.
2) Kunnskap og verktøy for å forstå, forutsi og vurdere regional sykdomsutvikling mellom anlegg, og mellom anlegg og vill fisk. Her er det utviklet modeller for å simulere og studere spredningsmønster og effekter av regionale tiltak, slik som sonering, endring av samlet biomasse med mer. En modell av utvandrende smolt er brukt for å studere effekten av ulike scenario på vill fisk.
3) Kunnskap om muligheter og begrensninger for beslutningstakere og verktøy for å støtte dem. Økonomiske modeller er utviklet for å vurdere effekter av ulike kontrolltiltak. Modellene som har vært benyttet er i første rekke forskningsverktøy.
Prosjektet, som både har hatt en grunnleggende og tverrfaglig karakter, har vært finansiert gjennom Norges forskningsråd med delfinansiering fra FHF. Førstnevnte har hatt ansvaret for å kvalitetssikre prosjektet faglig og administrativt. Prosjektet har egen prosjektside hos Forskningsrådet (prosjektnr. 207570) med supplerende informasjon og publikasjoner.
Prosjektet har bidratt til å øke kunnskapen om verdien av å benytte modeller for å forsterke beslutningsgrunnlaget ved sykdomskontroll.
Background
Fish diseases present short- and long-teen challenges to the sustainability of the aquaculture industry and the community as a whole. Disease outbreaks caused dramatic declines in salmon production with large consequences for communities in the Faroe Islands (2000–2001), and most recently in Chile (2008–2009). Recent studies estimates that sea lice alone costs the global industry 300 million EUR per year (Costello 2009).
In addition to these economic influences, diseases, directly or indirectly, contribute negatively to several of the main impacts of salmon aquaculture defined by The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue (www.worldwildlife.org): 1) Benthic impacts and siting, 2) Chemical inputs, 3) Diseases/parasites, 4) Escapes, 5) Feed, 6) Nutrient loading and capacity and 7) Social issues. Authorities, industry, and other stakeholders acknowledge the need for more proactive and coordinated control strategies to reduce the negative effects of diseases and improve efforts in dealing with infections. This requires a multidisciplinary and strategic approach to support decision makers, based on monitoring and understanding of the current situation, and methods and tools to predict future developments.
In Norwegian
In addition to these economic influences, diseases, directly or indirectly, contribute negatively to several of the main impacts of salmon aquaculture defined by The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue (www.worldwildlife.org): 1) Benthic impacts and siting, 2) Chemical inputs, 3) Diseases/parasites, 4) Escapes, 5) Feed, 6) Nutrient loading and capacity and 7) Social issues. Authorities, industry, and other stakeholders acknowledge the need for more proactive and coordinated control strategies to reduce the negative effects of diseases and improve efforts in dealing with infections. This requires a multidisciplinary and strategic approach to support decision makers, based on monitoring and understanding of the current situation, and methods and tools to predict future developments.
In Norwegian
Prosjekttittel
Bærekraftige kontrollstrategier mot sykdom i lakseoppdrett; beslutningsstøtte som integrerer økonomiske, økologiske og miljømessige dimensjoner.
Bakgrunn
Bakgrunn
Fiskesykdommer representerer kortsiktige og langsiktige utfordringer for bærekraften i havbruksnæringen og samfunnet forøvrig. Lakselus utgjør alene en kostnad på 300 millioner euro for den globale lakseindustrien. I tillegg til denne økonomiske betydningen, vil sykdom, direkte eller indirekte, påvirke aspekter knyttet til økologisk og sosial bærekraft. Myndigheter, industri og andre interessenter peker på presserende behov for en mer proaktiv og koordinert kontroll med sykdommer.
Objectives
To address the following research questions:
• What are the constraints and options for sustainable disease control in salmon farming?
• Which disease control strategies are the most cost-effective in the short- and long-term, with regard to their impacts on disease epidemiology, economics, environment and social sustainability?
• To what extent can integrated models of disease control be leveraged to support both short-and long-term sustainable decision making for the aquaculture sector based on production, economic, environmental, and social dimensions to enhance sustainability in the sector?
In Norwegian
• What are the constraints and options for sustainable disease control in salmon farming?
• Which disease control strategies are the most cost-effective in the short- and long-term, with regard to their impacts on disease epidemiology, economics, environment and social sustainability?
• To what extent can integrated models of disease control be leveraged to support both short-and long-term sustainable decision making for the aquaculture sector based on production, economic, environmental, and social dimensions to enhance sustainability in the sector?
In Norwegian
Å forbedre beslutningsgrunnlaget for regulerings- og intervensjonsstrategier for sykdomskontroll i lakseoppdrett.
Delmål
Delmål
• Å utvikle kunnskap og metoder for å evaluere og sammenligne rammebetingelser og kost-nytte av strategier for sykdomskontroll med tanke på bærekraftdimensjoner og ulike interessenter.
• Å utvikle verktøy og metoder for å integrere tverrfaglig kunnskap for å modellere sykdomsepidemiologi med direkte og indirekte sosio-økonomiske effekter.
• Å utvikle verktøy og metoder for å gjøre resultater fra integrerte modeller og annen kunnskap tilgjengelig for beslutningstakere, for å støtte både taktiske reaksjoner på eksisterende situasjoner og strategisk preventiv sykdomskontroll.
• Å utvikle verktøy og metoder for å integrere tverrfaglig kunnskap for å modellere sykdomsepidemiologi med direkte og indirekte sosio-økonomiske effekter.
• Å utvikle verktøy og metoder for å gjøre resultater fra integrerte modeller og annen kunnskap tilgjengelig for beslutningstakere, for å støtte både taktiske reaksjoner på eksisterende situasjoner og strategisk preventiv sykdomskontroll.
Expected project impact
The project will draw on a broad and existing platform of knowledge, integrating national and international research partners as well as major industry actors, covering social sciences, epidemiology, biology, economics, and enabling technology to address the problem from a holistic, long-term perspective. The SALMODIS-project will result in significant contributions towards a future-oriented knowledge based management of salmon farming.
In Norwegian
In Norwegian
Prosjektet er fundert på en bred og eksisterende vitenskapelig plattform, og vil integrere nasjonale og internasjonale forskningspartnere og ledende industriaktører. For å møte utfordringene med et helhetlig og langsiktig perspektiv vil samfunnsvitenskapelig, epidemiologisk, biologisk, økonomisk og teknologisk tilnærming tas i bruk. Prosjektet vil støtte myndigheter og industri i å evaluere rammebetingelser og vurdere mulige strategier for sykdomskontroll med tanke på deres økonomiske, økologiske og sosiale virkninger. Det vil gi betydelige bidrag i retning av en fremtidsrettet og mer kunnskapsbasert forvaltning og drift av lakseoppdrett.
Project design and implementation
To reach its objectives, the SALMODIS-project requires a novel, empirically validated, and balanced integration of the perspectives and disciplines of the research institutions participating in the project. It will therefore consist of three work packages that in different ways aim at integrating sustainability dimensions with knowledge domains. The work packages represent thematic groups of research tasks.
WP 1 Integration of perspectives
The objective of WP 1 is to identify sustainability issues and stakeholders’ interests related to diseases and disease control. By investigating the economic, ecological, and social dimensions both for specific decisions related to fish health incidents and as parts of a more generic framework for fish health decision making, the SALMODIS-project will generate models and tools that integrate knowledge from several disciplines. A key output will be couching strategic and tactical decisions in their systems context, demonstrating how stakeholder decisions can influence the environment in which they operate and, conversely, how sustainability issues and stakeholder interests and capacities can be critical constraints of what is feasible.
Task 1.1 Constraints and opportunities
To reach its objectives, the SALMODIS-project requires a novel, empirically validated, and balanced integration of the perspectives and disciplines of the research institutions participating in the project. It will therefore consist of three work packages that in different ways aim at integrating sustainability dimensions with knowledge domains. The work packages represent thematic groups of research tasks.
WP 1 Integration of perspectives
The objective of WP 1 is to identify sustainability issues and stakeholders’ interests related to diseases and disease control. By investigating the economic, ecological, and social dimensions both for specific decisions related to fish health incidents and as parts of a more generic framework for fish health decision making, the SALMODIS-project will generate models and tools that integrate knowledge from several disciplines. A key output will be couching strategic and tactical decisions in their systems context, demonstrating how stakeholder decisions can influence the environment in which they operate and, conversely, how sustainability issues and stakeholder interests and capacities can be critical constraints of what is feasible.
Task 1.1 Constraints and opportunities
Task 1.2 Models and other knowledge contributors
Task 1.3 Cost-effectiveness and tradeoffs
WP 2 Case studies
The objective of WP 2 is to develop more specific tools and methods to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge as applied to historic data from relevant disease situations. This will test the modelling framework by assessing the effectiveness of past control strategies in a sustainability context. The two cases, sea lice and Pancreas Disease (PD), represent different types of diseases, offer rich data, and are therefore suitable for investigating the adaptability of the tools developed in the work package. Resources available for this work package include the e-infrastructure SINTEF Sealab SSO (Facility for Surveillance, Simulation and Operation).
Task 2.1 Case descriptions
Task 2.2 Integration of mathematical models
Task 2.3 Hind-cast study
Task 1.3 Cost-effectiveness and tradeoffs
WP 2 Case studies
The objective of WP 2 is to develop more specific tools and methods to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge as applied to historic data from relevant disease situations. This will test the modelling framework by assessing the effectiveness of past control strategies in a sustainability context. The two cases, sea lice and Pancreas Disease (PD), represent different types of diseases, offer rich data, and are therefore suitable for investigating the adaptability of the tools developed in the work package. Resources available for this work package include the e-infrastructure SINTEF Sealab SSO (Facility for Surveillance, Simulation and Operation).
Task 2.1 Case descriptions
Task 2.2 Integration of mathematical models
Task 2.3 Hind-cast study
WP 3 Decision support tools
The objective of WP 3 is to develop tools, methods, and scenarios to assist decision making related to both tactical and strategic disease control that integrate sustainability issues and stakeholder interests from WP 1 with integrated models field-tested in WP 2.
Task 3.1 Decision makers and decision processes
Task 3.2 Development of decision support tools
Task 3.3 Simulation scenarios
WP 0 Project management
The objective is defined to manage the project, including arranging common meetings, coordination of tasks, taking care of administration and joint dissemination.
Project management will be handled on a task level through appointed task leaders.
Organization
The following is the consortium participants and their current primary contact person:
• SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFH), Hans Bjelland
• Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH), Eystein Skjerve
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology – Social Research (NTNU-SR), Tonje Osmundsen
• Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Bengt Finstad
• Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Karl Rich
• University of Strathclyde (UoS), George Gettinby
• University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Crawford Revie
• Lerøy Seafood Group ASA, Kristian Straume-Lie
• Salmar ASA, Arnfinn Aunsmo
• Marine Harvest Norway AS, Gordon Ritchie
SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture have appointed Hans Bjelland as project leader.
A consortium board is established with the following members:
Project management will be handled on a task level through appointed task leaders.
Organization
The following is the consortium participants and their current primary contact person:
• SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFH), Hans Bjelland
• Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH), Eystein Skjerve
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology – Social Research (NTNU-SR), Tonje Osmundsen
• Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Bengt Finstad
• Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Karl Rich
• University of Strathclyde (UoS), George Gettinby
• University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Crawford Revie
• Lerøy Seafood Group ASA, Kristian Straume-Lie
• Salmar ASA, Arnfinn Aunsmo
• Marine Harvest Norway AS, Gordon Ritchie
SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture have appointed Hans Bjelland as project leader.
A consortium board is established with the following members:
• Hans Bjelland (representing SFH)
• Eystein Sjerve (representing NVH and NUPI)
• Tonje Osmundsen (represetning NTNU-SR)
• Bengt Finstad (representing NINA, UPEI, and UoS)
• Tonje Osmundsen (represetning NTNU-SR)
• Bengt Finstad (representing NINA, UPEI, and UoS)
• Arnfinn Aunsmo (representing industrial partners)
• Merete Schøder (observer)
In Norwegian
In Norwegian
Den nye og balanserte integrasjonen av samfunnsvitenskapelig, epidemiologisk, biologisk, økonomisk og teknologisk tilnærming vil bli utført gjennom tre arbeidspakker som på ulikt vis vil forene bærekraftdimensjoner og interessenters perspektiv med kunnskapsdomener og modeller.
Arbeidspakke 1 vil utvikle generelle metoder for å evaluere kost-nytte og mulige avveininger med tanke på effekter av sykdomskontroll.
Arbeidspakke 2 vil utvikle metoder for å integrere modeller fra ulike kunnskapsdomener. To historiske sykdomssituasjoner, relatert til lakselus og Pancreas Disease, vil bli utforsket.
Arbeidspakke 3 fokuserer på å kombinere resultatene fra WP 1 og WP 2 i beslutningsstøtteverktøy som muliggjør strategisk kontroll ved hjelp av prediksjoner og scenariovurderinger.
Arbeidspakke 1 vil utvikle generelle metoder for å evaluere kost-nytte og mulige avveininger med tanke på effekter av sykdomskontroll.
Arbeidspakke 2 vil utvikle metoder for å integrere modeller fra ulike kunnskapsdomener. To historiske sykdomssituasjoner, relatert til lakselus og Pancreas Disease, vil bli utforsket.
Arbeidspakke 3 fokuserer på å kombinere resultatene fra WP 1 og WP 2 i beslutningsstøtteverktøy som muliggjør strategisk kontroll ved hjelp av prediksjoner og scenariovurderinger.
Dissemination of project results
Results from the SALMODIS-project will continuously be made available to the salmon farming industry and the regulatory authorities, through a close relation and workshops with the participating fish fanning companies, the Norwegian Seafood Federation (FHL), and the Norwegian Seafood Association (NSL), as well as governmental bodies like the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Directorate of Fisheries, and the Directorate for Nature Management. A reference group including representatives from the named key-players will be established to communicate progress and secure this important part of the dissemination of project findings.
The SALMODIS team will disseminate information and results obtained in the project to a wide audience through papers in scientific journals, articles in the aquaculture trade press, and presentations at conferences and workshops.
The project will also be presented through the project web, where project description and eventually results will be presented.
Results from the SALMODIS-project will continuously be made available to the salmon farming industry and the regulatory authorities, through a close relation and workshops with the participating fish fanning companies, the Norwegian Seafood Federation (FHL), and the Norwegian Seafood Association (NSL), as well as governmental bodies like the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Directorate of Fisheries, and the Directorate for Nature Management. A reference group including representatives from the named key-players will be established to communicate progress and secure this important part of the dissemination of project findings.
The SALMODIS team will disseminate information and results obtained in the project to a wide audience through papers in scientific journals, articles in the aquaculture trade press, and presentations at conferences and workshops.
The project will also be presented through the project web, where project description and eventually results will be presented.