European Union fish farming (EU27) increased its production from 60,000 tons in 1970 to more than 600,000 tons in 2000 (source Fishstat+ (FAO)), to 620,000 tons in 2004 (FEAP report¹ ) and is now around 650,000 tons (FEAP estimate). This dynamic sector is now facing a period of consolidation after many years of growth. The fish farming industry thus contributes more than 20% of fisheries landings in the European Union which, in the face of declining wild fisheries, has increased its imports from 45% to 65% in the last decade.

In the face of increasing market competitiion, European fish farming has to become increasingly productive while respecting the objectives of sustainable development, as outlined in the Communications on Aquaculture of the European Commission (COM(2002) 511 and COM(2009) 162 final).

Within Europe as a whole, more than 1.6 million tons are produced, where Norway is a major contributor with more than 860,000 tons of salmon and trout. Additional salmon production is significant in the Faeroe Islands (35,000 tons) while Turkey has developed both its marine (>75,000 tons) and freshwater production (>40,000 tons). A large percentage of this production targets the European market.

At the source of every major sector of European fish farming (e.g. salmon, trout, seabass, seabream, carp) are the hatcheries, which maintain the broodstock and practise the controlled reproduction of these valuable fish. Their products – fertilised eggs, larvae, fry and juveniles – represent the starting materials for the majority of European fish farmers.

Problems with malformed fish were identified as a major obstacle for the industry at the PROFET workshop on hatchery technologies (Bordeaux January 2004). The PROFET workshop initiative was organised by the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) and its Member Associations, as a forum for the identification of RTD needs of the European fish-farming sector.

As a growing food supply industry, aquaculture has the potential to supply the European consumers with high-quality, healthy aquatic foods in a future where fisheries on wild stocks appear to be increasingly limited. The markets, however, demand quality, where this term pertains to the product itself and, increasingly, also relates to the social, environmental and economical soundness of the industry. An improved image will be of key importance to the future increase in markets for aquaculture products, where the issues of quality and welfare are increasingly referenced. The traceability of products, enabling the consumer to trace the fish backwards from fork to farm, is a new element in aquaculture that is being stressed, in parallel to other food producing sectors. It is meant to give the consumer confidence in the products, and to assure the consumer that the marketed fish has been reared and treated using the highest standards throughout the production cycle. In this situation, the fact that malformation problems persist in farmed fish is an indication that the industry has lacked the knowledge concerning the welfare and production standards that are required to make buyers (e.g. the processors and the retail sector) and the consumer content.

The welfare of all livestock reared for food production is a key concern for the consumer and producers. Within the EU, minimum standards were covered by Council Directive 98/58/EC while the Council of Europe’s Standing Committee of the European Convention on the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes made ‘Recommendations for Farmed Fish’ that came into force on 5th June 2006. In addition, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) adopted Guiding Principles for an Aquatic Animal Health Code in 2008.

In the Final Report of the PROFET project and the Minutes of the meeting in Bordeaux, two key priorities in the identified needs for better hatchery technologies were

• 1. Develop strategies to decrease malformation and deformities in juveniles and
• 2. Develop a scheme for “Best Hatchery Management Practices”.

Malformations remain today as an unwelcome but inherent aspect of aquaculture production. Individual malformed fish appear in variable and unpredictable numbers in farmed stocks in both warm and cold waters, and entail severe losses to the production sector. The similarity of malformation symptoms across fish species and culture environments implies that there is a general causal effect within the rearing conditions of farms, and a wide scope research effort was seen as being required when seeking to identify this or these causes.

An important approach to this issue was the development of the FINEFISH Collective Research project - ‘Improving sustainability of European fish aquaculture by control of malformations’ – which has received European funding under the 6^{th Framework programme (Project 012451).}

During the negotiation of the project with the European Commission, it became evident that much background and benchmarking information is either missing or has not been established. For example, the rates of malformation or the type or degree of malformation represent.

In addition to this manual on the ‘Control of malformations in fish aquaculture: Science and practice’, the project consortium has prepared species specific ‘Diagnostic Manuals on Malformations in Fish’ that will be continuously updated and are available on this website.

The diagnostic manuals were, together with the new research results, presented on the species specific training courses and on the final workshop that were arranged as parts of the FINEFISH dissemination activities.

The project consortium has produced a wide range of ground-breaking results within the major key topics of early rearing temperature, abiotic factors and nutrition, and how these affects normal and abnormal skeletal development.

This manual targets the operators and managers of the hatcheries that raise the major species that are produced in European aquaculture, although there are many protocols and recommendations that are applicable to the many ‘minor’ species that are also the subject of professional attention.

It aims to be a practical tool that provides efficient and reliable protocols, combined with professional advice and recommendations, for the reduction of malformations and best hatchery practice. The manual is the result of nearly 4 years of research, case studies and communication, applying the knowledge and experience of scientists and hatchery operators within and outside of the project consortium.