News
> Workshop Announcement – Star-Oddi
Want to gain hands-on experience with high-performance mini data loggers and sensors for aquatic and wildlife research? Join our Star-Oddi workshop, an optional activity of the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society!
Participants will learn how to monitor animal behaviour and environmental parameters using cutting-edge tools.
▪️ Date: October 29
▪️ Time: 14:00 – 17:00
▪️ Price: Free
▪️ Expert: Ásgeir Bjarnason
▪️ Limited to 20 participants – registration required: access here
> Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your skills in wildlife and aquatic research!
(posted on Oct. 6, 2025)
Presentations at European Aquaculture Society Conference!
Disseminating science-based knowledge is central to our mission to improve the welfare of farmed fishes and other aquatic animals in practical ways. Presenting at scientific and industry events is an essential part of this effort.
As part of this mission, our student Esther Hoyo-Alvarez and our team member Joao L. Saraiva presented at the European Aquaculture Society Annual Conference in Valencia, Spain.
✔️João presented on the effects of stunning and slaughter methods on welfare indicators and product quality of gilthead seabream.
✔️Esther presented on behavioural and cardiac responses of European seabass in sea-cages, along with a poster on cardiac responses, activity, and oxygen consumption of this species under stress challenges.
Congratulations to Esther for receiving the Best Student Poster Award!
📸 Photo credit: Pablo Arechavala-Lopez
(posted on Oct. 2, 2025)
New blog post!
The European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is one of the most commercially valuable species in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.
> It is estimated that 70 to 560 million individuals are captured every year—raising important questions about welfare impacts in gillnet fisheries, the most common fishing method used to catch this species.
🔎 Read our new blog post at ConsCIÊNCIA Animal to know more here.
📊 You can also explore its WelfareCheck profile in the fair-fish database of here.
(posted on Sept. 30, 2025)
> Workshop Opportunity – Birding & Bird Identification
As part of the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society, we invite you to join an exclusive birdwatching workshop at the Ria Formosa Natural Park, guided by João Tiago Tavares – ornithologist, biologist, and illustrator.
▪️November 1 (weather permitting)
▪️8:30 am – 12:00 pm
▪️20€ per participant (to be paid on site)
▪️Limited to 10 participants – registration required
> Participants will learn how to observe and identify the rich avifauna of this unique lagoon ecosystem. A perfect opportunity for networking, nature appreciation, and new field skills.
(posted on Sept. 29, 2025)
> New podcast episode!
The fair-fish database programme—part of our Fish Talk podcast—usually features short audios based on species profiles from the database of fair-fish (english), exploring their natural needs, behaviours, and welfare challenges in farming and fisheries.
💡Last week, we introduced something new: podcast episodes based on fishing method profiles. This new resource in the catch branch of the fair-fish database looks at how different fishing methods impact fish welfare as a whole.
> Our first podcast episode in this series highlights the effects of purse seine fishing on small pelagic species.
> Listen to the full episode here.
(posted on Sept. 23, 2025)
> Accommodation Partnerships for the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society
Join us on October 30–31, 2025, at the Algarve University, Penha Campus (Faro, Portugal) for two inspiring days of:
✔️Cutting-edge research
✔️Plenary talks & oral presentations
✔️Poster exhibitions
✔️Networking & knowledge exchange
Participants will also benefit from special accommodation discounts thanks to our local partnerships:
▪️Faro Boutique Hotel – 3-star hotel
▪️Hostellicious – modern hostel
▪️Ti Maria Guest House – charming hostel
> Interested, but still not registered? Please, do it here.
(posted on Sept. 22, 2025)
>> New conference report published!
Aquatic animal welfare is increasingly recognized worldwide as essential for responsible fish production.
Our team member María J. Cabrera-Álvarez co-authored a new conference report summarizing the outcomes of The Aquatic Animal Welfare Research and Practice Seminar, held in Hangzhou, China, 28–29 March 2025.
💡The seminar gathered leading scientists and industry stakeholders to discuss recent research, innovations, and future directions in aquatic animal welfare. The report provides a concise overview of presentations and discussions, helping advance research and its practical application in the fish industry.
> If you are interested, access the full report here.
https://lnkd.in/dnptvyWN
(posted on Sept. 17, 2025)
Keynote speaker!
> We are proud to announce Professor Melissa Bateson (Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, UK) as a keynote speaker at the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society.
💡 Professor Bateson is a leading ethologist and President of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Her research focuses on how stress and early-life experiences influence cognition, behaviour, and health in both humans and animals. She is also co-author of Measuring Behaviour: An Introductory Guide.
> Her keynote will provide valuable insights into the effects of stress across species, contributing to our understanding of behaviour, health, and welfare.
🗓️ October 30–31, 2025
📍 Algarve University – Penha Campus, Faro, Portugal
🎓 Organized by SPE - Sociedade Portuguesa de Etologia, Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), and FishEthoGroup
> Register here
(posted on Sept. 10, 2025)
Great achievement!
>> We’re proud to be featured in Expresso, one of Portugal’s most respected newspapers.
💡 Media coverage like this is essential to give visibility to our work on the behaviour and welfare of fishes and other aquatic animals — both farmed and caught in the wild. Every mention helps move this agenda forward.
>If you are interested, access the news here and here.
(posted on Sept. 8, 2025)
Water quality in aquaculture
>> Ensuring Better Fish Welfare Through Water Quality
💡 Maintaining good water quality is a key step in ensuring fish welfare. Low dissolved oxygen, below species-specific needs, can cause stress or mortality. Temperature and pH requirements vary: tropical species usually prefer warmer water, while temperate species should prefer cooler water; species naturally from acidic waters need lower pH, while those from alkaline habitats require higher pH.
> Ammonia and nitrite must remain close to zero due to their toxicity. Regular monitoring of these parameters is essential to support welfare, healthy growth, and productivity.
(posted on Sept. 2, 2025)
>> Keynote Speaker Announcement
We are delighted to welcome Dr. José Ricardo Paula (MARE / Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal) as a keynote speaker at the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society.
Dr. Paula's research focuses on the complexities of social interactions in marine ecosystems, particularly through the lens of cleaner fish — species known for their ecological role in removing parasites and dead tissue from client fish. His keynote, titled “The Behavioural Complexity of Cleaning Mutualisms”, will offer valuable insights into the cognitive and behavioural mechanisms underpinning these fascinating interactions.
📅 October 30–31, 2025
📍 Algarve University– Penha Campus, Faro, Portugal
> Organized by the SPE - Sociedade Portuguesa de Etologia, Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), and FishEthoGroup
> Registration here
We look forward to an inspiring session on how behavioural biology connects individual actions with broader ecological patterns.
(posted on Aug. 25, 2025)
Speaker annoucement (SPE Congress)!
>> We are delighted to announce Professor Sandra Trigo (CIBIO/InBIO, University of Porto, Portugal) as a keynote speaker at the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society.
Prof. Trigo’s research focuses on sexual selection signals and the mechanisms underlying the modulation of animal behaviour. Her keynote talk — “Sex Differences in Birds: Ornamentation, Behavior, and Physiological Responses” — will explore how evolutionary pressures shape traits and interactions in birds.
🗓️ October 30–31, 2025
📍 Algarve University – Penha Campus, Faro (Portugal)
> Organized by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Etologia (SPE), Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), and FishEthoGroup.
> Registration here
(posted on Aug. 20, 2025)
New paper out!
> New publication!
Understanding the hedonic (pleasure) and motivational aspects of fish behaviour is essential for advancing aquatic research and welfare. A new study co-authored by our student Inês Cacela Rodrigues and our team member Joao L. Saraiva, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, provides the first evidence that the opioid system mediates the pleasure (‘liking’) of cleaner–client fish interactions.
💡 Using behavioral experiments with butterflyfish (client) and cleaner wrasse, the authors showed that de-parasitized client fish still prefer compartments associated with cleaners. Activation of μ-opioid receptors increased this preference, while blockade reduced it. Interestingly, motivation to reach cleaners (‘wanting’) was clearly shown too, but unaffected by opioid treatment, indicating that hedonic impact ('pleasure') and incentive salience (motivation) are distinct components in fish.
✔️ This work highlights the complexity of fish social interactions and the role of neurobiology in mutualistic behavior, providing new insights into how reward systems operate in aquatic animals.
> Read the full paper here
(posted on Aug. 15, 2025)
New podcast episode!
One of our core missions is to promote knowledge about fish and other aquatic species to support their welfare. We strongly believe that science communication is essential to achieving meaningful change.
💡 As part of this mission, we created Fish Five, an interview programme within our Fish Talk podcast. Each episode explores key topics in fish behaviour and welfare, guided by five insightful questions answered by leading experts in the field.
> We’re excited to share that our second episode is now live! This time, we welcome Professor Eliane Gonçalves de Freitas for a conversation on social interactions in fishes — a fascinating and important subject in aquatic welfare research.
> Listen now on Spotify here or visit our website to learn more here.
(posted on Aug. 12, 2025)
Prof Nicola Clayton talk at SPE Congress!
We are proud to announce that Professor Nicola Clayton (University of Cambridge, UK) will be a keynote speaker at the XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society, taking place on October 30–31, 2025, at the Algarve University in Faro, Portugal.
💡Prof. Clayton is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in comparative cognition, especially on episodic-like memory, mental time travel, and the intelligence of corvids. Her research bridges disciplines, offering powerful insights into animal minds and the evolution of cognition.
Her keynote, titled “Magic Mind”, will be one of the highlights of the programme.
📌 Organized by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Etologia (SPE), Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), and the FishEthoGroup.
📍 Faro, Portugal – Penha Campus, Algarve University
🔗 Register here
(posted on Aug. 5, 2025)
