An online survey was distributed via the mailing list of a UK free-range egg brand receiving 6,378 responses. The survey was mostly five-point Likert-scale based. The same survey was also distributed to a group of animal welfare specialists receiving 34 responses. Findings Respondents bought free-range eggs because hens are 'happier' (74.2%) and 'healthier' (69.0%) and because they believed such eggs to taste better (57.9%). They rated all the suggested factors that might contribute to hen welfare as 'important' or 'very important' (on average) but believed outside access and fresh air to be most important. Respondents rated the suitability of resources relating to behavioural needs high ('suitable' or 'very suitable') indoors and shelter as the most suitable outdoors. Consumers differed from welfare specialists in their views on factors contributing to hen welfare, but their views on resource suitability were similar. Research limitations/implications The sample was biased towards free-range egg consumers who had expressed an interest in a brand marketed as high welfare. Originality/value This is the first study to ask consumers what they consider to be important for hen welfare and how they think hen welfare can be improved. Because consumers can affect on-farm welfare through their purchasing habits assessing the degree of agreement between consumers and animal welfare specialists is important.

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. 2016. Size-selective mortality of Chinook salmon in relation to body energy after the fi rst summer in nearshore marine habitats. N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Bull. 6: 1-11. doi:10.23849/npafcb6/1.11.Abstract: The probability of size-selective mortality (SSM) after the fi rst summer of marine residency (i.e., the second critical period [SCP]) was evaluated for Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Size distributions of fi sh sampled as juveniles and back-calculated from adults were compared to evaluate SSM. Size distribution for juvenile samples at SCP was estimated from fork length (FL) of fi sh collected in the northeastern Bering Sea. Scale radii distributions for adult samples at SCP were estimated using the mean early marine circuli count from available juvenile scales, and back-calculating FL at SCP using a linear regression between juvenile FL and scale radius. A second regression was used to estimate body weight at FL. Size at SCP in the average adult sample (95% confi dence interval of the mean = 163-178 g) was greater than that in the juvenile sample (95% confi dence interval of the mean = 134-140 g), indicating SSM between SCP and sexual maturity. A generalized additive model (GAM) indicated a signifi cant relationship between weight or energy density at SCP and the probability of SSM. These results support the theoretical mechanism of SCP: that SSM in salmon could be attributed to energy density after the fi rst summer in nearshore habitats.

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