Abstract Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) are increasingly being used as cleaner fish to control parasitic sea lice, one of the most important threats to salmon farming. However, lumpfish cannot survive feeding solely on sea lice, and their mortality in salmon net pens can be high, which has welfare, ethical and economic implications. We undertook a knowledge gap and prioritisation exercise using a Delphi approach to assess consensus on the main challenges and potential solutions for improving lumpfish welfare. Consensus among participants on the utility of 5 behavioural and 12 physical welfare indicators was high (87–89%), reliable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.79, 95CI = 0.69–0.92) and independent of participant background. Participants highlighted fin erosion and body damage as the most useful and practical operational welfare indicators, and blood parameters and behavioural indicators as the least practical. Our study offers 16 practical solutions for improving the welfare of lumpfish and where to target research efforts to generate workable solutions.
The oral presentation will describe the paper in more depth and disseminate the stages of research translation, from CSAR to the industry, that has led to the paper being published. The presentation will additionally discuss the wider research on lumpfish that is helping to address the knowledge gaps, and challenges, within the UK aquaculture sector.