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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Orono, Maine » National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #429196
Research Project: Improving North American Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Production

Location: National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center

Title: Evidence-based approach to informing sampling schemes for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recirculating aquaculture system studies

Author
item Burr, Gary
item Peterson, Brian
item Bello, Nora

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/2025
Publication Date: 8/24/2025
Citation: Burr, G.S., Peterson, B.C., Bello, N.M. 2025. Evidence-based approach to informing sampling schemes for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recirculating aquaculture system studies. Meeting Abstract. 40th Fish Feed and Nutrition Workshop.

Interpretive Summary: Abstract Submitted at 40th Fish Feed and Nutrition Workshop

Technical Abstract: Obtaining accurate weight measurements on a regular basis is crucial for performance assessment in aquaculture production. Specifically, fish pose unique challenges for measurement due to their mobility in a water environment. Alternative measurement techniques include netting fish from a tank into a smaller container on a scale that can then be used to determine the joint weight of fish and water or weighing after being anesthetized. Implementing the logistics of said measurements raises legitimate questions: should all fish in a tank be bulk weighed? Or rather, should fish be individually weighed? If the latter, is there a need to weigh all fish in a tank or would weighing a subset suffice? All these approaches are often employed in practice but, beyond sampling practicality, it is unclear which, if any, offers advantages in terms of sampling accuracy or precision. The objective of this study was to assess and compare sampling schemes for aquaculture production systems in Atlantic Salmon. A total of 1080 fish were pit tagged and stocked into 24 tanks, such that 45 Atlantic salmon families were represented in each tank. Initial fish weight averaged 58g.± 17.5(SD) Fish were allowed to acclimate for 1 week. Fish weightings were conducted weekly for 4 weeks. For each tank, weighing approaches were as follows: an initial net of fish was captured, anesthetized, identified via pit tag, and fish were individually weighed. Next, the remaining fish in the tank were captured, anesthetized, identified via pit tag, and individually weighed. After having collected individual weights for all fish in a tank, tank fish were bulk weighed. Appropriate scales were used for individual and bulk weighing. Mixed models-based data analysis is underway to compare sampling schemes in terms of accuracy and precision in representing tank weight gain performance.