£8.5m research project aims to improve salmon health and welfare.
A five-year, £8.5m research partnership between the Roslin Institute and Mowi Scotland will focus on limiting the impact of chronic complex diseases in farmed salmon, aiming to improve both welfare and productivity in the industry.
The project, backed by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Business and Academia Prosperity Partnership programme, will take a genomic and immunological approach to increasing disease resilience across the salmon lifecycle.
The initiative seeks to establish a world-leading framework for identifying regions of the salmon genome associated with complex diseases, supporting efforts to selectively breed more robust fish.
Professor Hervé Migaud, Health, Welfare and Biology Director at Mowi, emphasised the practical significance of the work, stating that its “scientific objectives are highly strategically relevant and deliver immediate translational opportunities to salmon production.” He added that the project would contribute to “increasing animal welfare, profitability, sustainability, and societal acceptance” across Scottish, UK, and global salmon farming sectors.
A genetic approach to disease resistance
The study will focus on heart and gill health, two key areas of concern in farmed salmon. By tracking hundreds of salmon families from hatchery to harvest, researchers will analyse genetic diversity, early rearing conditions, and immune system development to identify traits linked to disease resistance. The project will also examine how early rearing temperatures affect immune response and vaccine efficacy, helping to refine farming and management strategies.
Dr Nick Wade, from the Roslin Institute, underlined the significance of the collaboration, noting that the scale of the project made it possible to address key health challenges in a way that individual research efforts could not. “We seek to advance the fundamental understanding of fish health and robustness at multiple levels across the salmon life cycle,” he said, adding that such work was only feasible through an extensive industry partnership.
Implications for industry and policy
The project represents the first study of a dedicated Scottish salmon breeding population, with the findings expected to have commercial and regulatory implications. Alongside the research itself, the initiative will support the recruitment of key research posts, cross-sector career development, and community engagement programmes to raise awareness of disease management in aquaculture.
With disease a persistent economic and welfare issue in salmon farming, the findings could help reduce losses, improve efficiency, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of the industry. The Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, receives strategic investment funding from BBSRC.
