University of Stirling secures £2m grant for aquaculture welfare project in Asia

The University of Stirling has secured more than £2 million in funding for a project aimed at improving the welfare of farmed fish in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, which is a world leader in its field, has been awarded $2.7m (around £2m) for the three-year project from Open Philanthropy, a grant-making organisation which uses its resources to support a range of causes across the world.

The project follows on from a previous Open Philanthropy funded scheme which focused on improving the welfare of farmed fish in Thailand and Vietnam, by further expanding its reach to include Indonesia and promoting development of the Asia Fish Welfare Network.

Previous work concentrated on improving the knowledge and interest of stakeholders throughout farmed fish value chains, the stages involved in bringing fish from production on farms to consumers, in countries where it is an important part of the diet and there are some of the largest concentrations of farmed fish and shellfish in the world.

Urgent need

The project will be led by Professor Dave Little, Deputy Head of the Institute of Aquaculture, who said: “Across Asia there are serious welfare issues that affect millions of aquatic animals and there is an urgent need to drive change. In addition, there is very little awareness about the importance of improving the situation, and we believe that projects such as this can help to change that.

“Understanding consumer and other stakeholders’ perceptions is critical to improving practices throughout the value chain, by identifying and targeting areas that could improve welfare the most. In the first project, we identified harvest through to slaughter as being critical points where practice could most effectively be improved.

Researchers work on the ground with local fish farmers across the region.

“We hope that this significant research funding will help to build on our work to date that is focused on improving aquatic animal welfare, and its role as an ethical food choice, while also being of economic importance to the countries.”

Michelle Lavery, Program Associate, Farm Animal Welfare at Open Philanthropy, said: “We've supported the University of Stirling’s work on farmed fish welfare in southeast Asia for the past three years and we're excited to see what the next phase of their work brings.

“The team has prioritised building and supporting local fish welfare research communities in Thailand and Vietnam, and has partnered with industry and policymakers to maximise the chances that the fish welfare improvements resulting from their work are taken up sustainably. This kind of field-building and industry-facing groundwork is important for fish welfare now and into the future.”

The new grant will be used to manage research studies in the target countries on areas of fish welfare – from practical and biological aspects to social and economic factors.

Workshops and outreach activities involving academics and practitioners working in aquaculture will also be developed, as well as expanding exchange and mentorship programmes to build networks and institutional capacity.

Opportunity

It will also be used to support six Masters students from Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia to take a fully funded course at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, harnessing and growing the potential of local talent to continue work in this area into the future.

The formal application process is free of charge and involves no commitment until after a funding decision has been made, with applicants invited to study MSc Sustainable Aquaculture, MSc Aquatic Pathobiology, or MSc Aquatic Veterinary Studies at the Institute of Aquaculture during the academic year 2025-26 or 2026-27.

Graduation for the two MSc students supported through the Improving Farmed Fish Welfare in Asia project. Left to right: Dr Simão Zacarias, Nghĩa Phan (Vietnam), Professor Dave Little and Arnan Hirunratanakorn (Thailand).

Potential applicants can find out more and apply for one of the studentships on their preferred course as soon as possible via Sustainable Aquaculture Stirling | Welfare Studentships.

The grant will fund the project for three years with Professor Little working alongside Simão Zacarias as Project and Research Coordinator and John Bostock, who will provide support with communications and educational material.

The announcement comes as work on the University’s state-of-the-art National Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Hub (NATIH) moves closer to completion.

Funded by a £17million investment by the UK Government through the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, as well as a £1m Wolfson Foundation grant, NATIH will drive the UK’s ambition to be a world leader in modern aquaculture practice.

NATIH will be fully integrated into the University's world-renowned Institute of Aquaculture, the UK’s leading centre for aquaculture research, which includes a large-scale marine facility at Machrihanish in Kintyre and a freshwater facility at Buckieburn near Denny.

NATIH will use the latest research techniques to help tackle the major challenges facing aquaculture producers, such as fish welfare and managing environmental impacts, to make sure that the UK leads and innovates in the rapidly growing aquaculture industry.