LAKSVEL-digital
The project aims to set a basis for a common industry standard for the automatic registration of welfare indicators. The automatic registration of welfare indicators has increased in use in recent years. Several camera suppliers base their systems on the LAKSVEL protocol, which describes manual welfare monitoring of salmon, but different interpretations can result in assessments that are difficult to compare or that lack precision. The project will therefore develop a scientific basis for automatic welfare assessment and validation procedures.
The research groups responsible for developing the LAKSVEL protocol will continue their collaboration in LAKSVELdigital. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute will lead the project, with the Institute of Marine Research and NOFIMA participating as partners.
The project will examine the various camera systems with their software, as well as experience–based knowledge and needs among users, meaning salmon farming companies and fish health services. Together, a roadmap will be developed to highlight any gap between the current situation and the desired state, as well as technological limitations.
In developing a scoring and categorization guide (LAKSVEL-digital), the project will be based on the welfare indicators (the WIs) for wounds and sexual maturation. These indicators have a significant impact on fish welfare, but also lead to reduced slaughter quality and are therefore economically important. Farmers can influence the development of these indicators through early harvesting, making it necessary to understand how these indicators appear during automatic registration.
Furthermore, the project will address the precision and representativeness of the camera systems. Regarding precision, it is important to know whether the cameras can detect and classify the WIs, and how this is affected by viewing angle, image resolution, and environmental conditions, such as light and visibility. It must also be assessed whether the sampled images represent the actual distribution of fish with injuries and deformities in the population—that is, the representativeness.
Internal project leader:
Kristin Bjørklund
Cooperating partners:
Institute of Marine Research (IMR), The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (NOFIMA)
