Submerged light increases swimming depth and reduces fish density of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. in production cages

Abstract

Artificial photoperiods that postpone sexual maturation and increase growth are now widely used in the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. farming industry. Few studies have been carried out to examine the effect of this treatment on fish behaviour and welfare in production cages. In this study, echo-integration was used to observe the swimming depth and fish density of salmon in 20-m-deep production cages illuminated by lamps mounted above the water surface (SURF) or submerged in the cage (SUBS). From January to May, SUBS swam at a greater depth (5–11 m) than SURF (1–3 m) at night. SURF descended and SUBS ascended at dawn, but SUBS were still swimming at greater depth than SURF during the day from January to March. The difference in swimming depth resulted in SURF swimming at a median fish density about twice as high as SUBS at night and up to five times the calculated fish density. SURF increased the utilization of the cage volume as the biomass increased, but fish swimming at the highest density did so at up to 20 times the calculated fish density. The results suggest that salmon position themselves in relation to the artificial light gradient to maintain schooling behaviour and that the use of submersible lights may be a precaution to secure the welfare of caged salmon.