Insights with Ian: Benefits and challenges of farming sterile fish
As global aquaculture continues to scale, preventing genetic and ecological impacts from escapees has become a priority. One topic attracting scientific and regulatory interest is sterile fish. In this edition of Insights with Ian, we explore the current technologies and their challenges. There are strong environmental and commercial reasons for using sterile fish in net […]
Insights with Ian: Surrogate Broodstock and Stem Cell Biology in Aquaculture
Fish gonads contain stem cells than can produce viable offspring when transplanted into sterile recipients (surrogates) of a related species. Surrogate broodstock technology (SBT) is transforming our scientific understanding of reproduction and sex determination and has important potential applications in conservation biology and aquaculture breeding. A recent publication from the Institute of Marine Research in […]
Insights with Ian: Welfare and Environmental Footprint of Farmed Salmon
Farmed salmon species constitute one of the most widely eaten and profitable seafoods globally. There are around 2.5 million tonnes of Atlantic salmon produced each year together with lesser amounts of the Pacific species. Recently, Field & Flower joined Abel & Cole in announcing that they have stopped sourcing salmon from open offshore net pen producers in […]
Insights with Ian: Making Aquaculture More Sustainable
Aquaculture now provides over half of global fisheries production and is essential for food security. As demand grows, sustainability becomes critical—balancing environmental, economic, and social factors. This month’s insight blog looks at what sustainable aquaculture means, the challenges ahead, and the innovations driving a more resilient future. Aquaculture has become an integral part of the […]