course-details-portlet

BI1009

Fish health and welfare

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Foundation courses, level I
Course start Autumn 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction Norwegian
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement School exam

About

About the course

Course content

The course will firstly give basic introduction to stress physiology and fish welfare and how this affects fish health and ethics of production. The course will then give a deeper introduction to fish health with special focus on diseases, biosecurity, and monitoring and evaluation of health and welfare.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

  • Basic knowledge of salmon stress physiology and ethics in production.
  • Know the term fish welfare and how to work for improving welfare in fish farming.
  • Know the most important diseases and parasite infections in fish farming and how they spread.
  • Knowledge on how biosecurity can prevent spread of disease.
  • Know relevant legislations, regulations and standards related to fish health and fish welfare.

Skills:

  • The candidate can apply his/her knowledge of salmon to understand and contribute to solving new biological and operational issues in aquaculture and animal welfare.
  • The candidate has the knowledge to find and apply relevant regulations, regulations and standards in animal welfare.
  • The candidate is familiar with relevant biological methods and other professional tools for recognizing suboptimal farming conditions and contributing to solving the challenges.
  • The candidate can reflect on his/her own professional practice in the subject areas of the course and act as part of an interdisciplinary team with staff from the other important disciplines in aquaculture, including as responsible manager.

General competence:

  • The candidate can use knowledge and skills in an independent manner in different education and work-related situations by showing cooperation, responsibility, ability to reflect, and critical thinking.
  • The candidate has broad insight into the environmental consequences and challenges of fish welfare in aquaculture and can put these in a broader perspective including economics and sustainability.
  • The candidate can communicate knowledge about salmon biology in farming and the influence of the marine environment to different target groups both in writing and orally, and can help to highlight aspects of the aquaculture profession's significance and consequences.
  • The candidate can, through sharing their knowledge and experience in academic discussions within the subject area, contribute to a continued sustainable operational and environmental development in aquaculture.
  • The candidate knows and can contribute to new thinking, innovation and the digitalization of aquaculture based on the subject's areas.

Learning methods and activities

The teaching will largely be based on lectures, mainly physical, but some online. The number of each will vary from year to year. There will be a laboratory exercise on stress in salmon with a two-week duration, followed by submission of a lab report. In addition, there will be a short laboratory exercise on hygiene.

Compulsory assignments

  • Lab work
  • Practices

Further on evaluation

Mandatory activities must be passed to be able to sit the final exam. The activities will change from year to year but will be informed at the first lecture or an information meeting.

In case of fail or improvement of grade a new final exam is held during the exam period both spring and fall semester. Mandatory activities that have previously been approved will be valid as long as the course does no undergo major changes.

Specific conditions

Admission to a programme of study is required:
Aquaculture - Engineering (BIHAV)

Required previous knowledge

None

Course materials

Information given at start of course

Subject areas

  • Aqua Culture
  • Marine Biology

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Biology

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: School exam
Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary examination - Autumn 2025

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.

Ordinary examination - Spring 2026

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.