Lottie Oulson, a 22-year-old Marine Biology student at Swansea University, has won the top prize for her research on improving welfare in farmed fish. 

Oulson, along with her research partner Ollie Duke, was awarded the “Best Dissertation on Welfare in Aquaculture” prize, sponsored by RSPCA Assured. The duo received a certificate of recognition and a £100 voucher for their work.

The winning research was conducted at Swansea University's Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research. The project used Operational Welfare Indicators to explore how dietary choices affect the welfare of Nile tilapia, one of the most commonly farmed fish worldwide. The findings suggested that allowing fish to have dietary choices can enhance their welfare by enabling more natural behaviours in artificial environments.

Emilie Wix, Head of Farming Engagement at RSPCA Assured, said: “Farmed fish welfare is an important issue, and we hope that by sponsoring awards such as this, we can help to encourage the fish industry specialists of tomorrow to prioritise improving welfare standards.

“We are proud that the RSPCA Assured scheme and the RSPCA higher welfare standards for farmed Atlantic salmon and trout have been a catalyst for change over the last 20 years, and we look forward to seeing what Lottie does next.”

Professor Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research at Swansea University, said: “We are excited to make this award to Lottie for this outstanding research into dietary choice for farmed fish, which could lead to higher welfare in the future. She showed excellent knowledge of the challenges faced by the aquaculture industry, and we hope she will contribute to improving fish welfare in her future career.”

RSPCA Assured aims to inspire students to improve welfare in the aquaculture industry. For more information, visit www.rspcaassured.org.uk