FAI released its online Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course in Chinese, signaling a continuing commitment to improving grass carp welfare standards in China.

China is the largest grass carp producer globally and the launch of the Chinese Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course provides a valuable resource to help boost the wellbeing and performance of farmed grass carp in China.

“More than 5.8 million tonnes of grass carp are produced every year, and the majority of these within China,” explained FAI’s Aquaculture Program manager, Sara Barrento. “FAI’s primary goal is to uncover welfare science, synthesize this knowledge and then put it in the hands of farmers. This is exactly what we’re doing with the launch of the Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course in Chinese.”

“FAI has been at the forefront of driving aquatic welfare globally since 2018 and our experience shows farmers have the greatest influence on the welfare of animals in their care. That’s why our new course aims to make welfare accessible to the people that impact the fish and production processes the most – farmers, aquaculture technicians and vets,” Barrento said.

The Chinese Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course is based on the latest scientific research and is designed to provide free, easy-to-access information to educate aquaculture farmers on the benefits of improving grass carp welfare. The course is hosted on the FAI Academy website and also available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

The course offers a comprehensive overview of FAI’s grass carp welfare indicators around nutrition, health, environment, and behavior. It also outlines how farmers can identify welfare issues and implement improved welfare practices into daily working routines.

“As well as the Chinese version of the Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course, we’ll soon be releasing our new Grass Carp Aquaculture Manual in Chinese,” continued Barrento. “We’re committed to supporting the aquaculture sector in China and this manual is another publication we want to share. By providing a comprehensive, scientific overview of grass carp, the Grass Carp Aquaculture Manual is intended to help disseminate more knowledge and best-practice guidelines among farmers.”

These Chinese-language grass carp welfare resources are the latest offerings from fish welfare specialists FAI, complementing their online welfare training resources for tilapia and shrimp, as well as digital welfare assessment apps.

“FAI’s research and experience within the aquaculture sector highlight that improved fish welfare not only leads to healthier fish, experiencing a better quality of life but also improved profitability for farmers,” concluded FAI’s CEO, Øistein Thorsen. “By continuing to promote grass carp welfare in Chinese-speaking regions we’re not only improving the wellbeing of fish but also helping food be produced in a more sustainable way.”

The Chinese version of the Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course can be accessed here.

The English version of the Grass Carp Welfare Indicators course can be accessed here.

The English version of the Grass Carp Aquaculture Manual can be accessed here.