Category Archives: fish health management

animal husbandry, biosecurity, Emerging issues, fish health management, Freshwater tropicals, Industry Profiles, Marine Ornamental Fish, Mortality, Procedures, quarantine, Uncategorized

Farm Visits – Singapore and Malaysia, some impressions

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On my way home today.  I’m writing this at the airport in Vancouver BC.

Over the past few days I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of farms and export facilities in both Singapore and Malaysia. What I’ve taken away is an industry in these countries that is working to significantly upgrade their biosecurity and health screening procedures to meet increasing demands as well as anticipated new requirements from the World Animal Health Organization, the EU, Australia and to some extent the US.

We visited a number of facilities with significant biosecurity protocols which included:

  • Separate quarantine facilities for export – fish are quarantined in these export facility prior to shipment. These facilities are separate from the actual production facilities. We visited two of these facilities that are slated to come on line in the next few months.
  • Some facilities have two levels of quarantine; pre-quarantine at the production facility prior to shipment to the export quarantine facility.
  • Separate facilities for holding domestic and imported fish.
  • Movement from pond culture to tank and cement pond culture. Easier to prevent disease spread and easier to disinfect the rearing units.
  • Tanks and ponds with individual water supplies and filtration. Water is not shared between tanks/ponds.
  • Dedicated equipement for each tank or rearing unit.
  • Individual siphons for each holding/rearing tank. These were actually hard-plumbed. Pretty cool idea.
  • Bird netting, covered or enclosed rearing areas.
  • Regular disease screening for export purposes but also as part of an ongoing health management program.

These are a few of the more significant examples of the move to more biosecure production systems.

Of course, there are still many facilities that are rearing fish in the older style pond culture systems many with many cage nets within individual ponds. There are also problems with pest control in some facilities – frogs moving between pods, birds, snakes. Further, there are instances where there appears to be inadequate disinfection between batches, not pulling mortalities quickly and inadequate equipment disinfection. I believe all of these issues can be addressed in time.

However, the hobbyist must be willing to pay more for this increased level of health management and biosecurity. All too often I hear, particularly in the US that hobbyists want healthier and safer fish but I’m told by many retailers that they are unwilling to pay more for these fish. Price still seems to be the guiding factor. THese additional health management practices add cost to the production process and it is important for the hobbyist to understand this fact.

Just some initial thoughts. Next I will post some images to give you a feel for the different types of farms and export facilities. Stay tuned. TMM

animal husbandry, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, Emerging issues, fish health management, fish health procedures, quarantine

Biosecurity Practices – Essential Considerations for the Pet Fish Industry: Pathogen Exclusion

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This post is really aimed at the retailer but the basic principles can be applied in all segments of the industry. Again, the specific approaches to biosecurity  must be tailored to the actual risks, needs and capability of each facility. TMM

The goal of pathogen exclusion is to prevent the entrance of an infectious agent into a facility, thereby preventing infection and possibly disease in a group of fish.  To accomplish this, you must recognize and understand the various routes by which an infectious agent can enter a pristine fish tank or pond. This allows you to plan defensive measures that will block that entry.

Fish-associated entry:

An obvious route of entry of pathogens into a facility is via the incoming fish. These animals may be asympotmatic carriers of a pathogen, or may have frank disease. It can be very difficult to determine if one is receiving healthy fish, and rarely can a manager be totally confident that the fish he has received are in fact healthy. To help minimize opportunities for diseased fish to enter a facility, owners/managers must scrutinize potential suppliers before fish are purchased or shipped.

Water-associated entry:

The presence and persistence of pathogens in water makes this medium a potential source of pathogen entry into a fish facility.  Water supply is a major consideration when designing a biosecurity program based upon pathogen exclusion.

Food-associated entry:

Fish food can not only serve as a source of pathogens, but poor, contaminated or spoiled diets can compromise the fish and make them more susceptible to infection by pathogens.  In most cases, good quality commercial diets will satisfy the basic nutritional requirements of ornamental fish, and are unlikely to host infectious agents.  As with fish suppliers, one should consider reputation and history of service when selecting food suppliers.  The food should be carefully inspected to ensure that there is no spoilage.  Live foods deserve special consideration as there is a higher potential for harboring pathogens, and caution is warranted.  Pretreatment or quarantine of the live food animals may be considered.

Person-associated entry:

The people that enter a facility, whether staff or customers, should be considered in a biosecurity plan as they can be a source of pathogen introduction as well as pathogen persistence.  Obviously, these people cannot be excluded from the facility, but the risks they pose can be managed.

Quarantine to prevent pathogen entry

Quarantine is critical to preventing introduction of pathogens into a facility. Quarantine also provides for the important process of acclimation of fish to new water conditions, new husbandry protocols, and new feeds.  Furthermore, the quarantine system and quarantine period allows time for the fish immune system to recuperate from the stresses of transport and handling.

All new fish that arrive at a facility should be quarantined.  Fish from separate sources should be quarantined separately. Additionally, any fish that have had contact with fish or water from other facilities, that are wild-caught or farm-raised, or have been returned to the facility by customers should also be quarantined before they are mixed with holding or display stock. Finally, many plants and invertebrates are capable of carrying potential fish disease agents including intermediate stages of many common fish parasites. Therefore it is wise to quarantine all plants and invertebrates in separate quarantine systems.

Quarantine Facilities and Systems

A quarantine facility should be distinct from the retail, wholesale, or import facility.  It can be located in a separate building or within a room adjacent to the main fish holding area, physically separated by a closed door and footbath.  Quarantine facilities should have designated equipment that is not used outside the quarantine area. Access to this facility is restricted to those employees assigned to this work area.  The restricted access to the quarantine area should be clearly emphasized by appropriate and well-placed signage, limiting access to those properly trained and authorized to be in that area.

Figure 1. illustrates the features of a quarantine system as well as the recommended movement of fish through the ornamental fish facility.

Figure 1. Recommended flow of fish through a quarantine facility at an ornamental fish retail establishment. The figure reiterates some of the important questions and issues a facility manager must consider in order to prevent disease introduction and propagation within a facility. These same considerations would be generally applicable within any ornamental fish enterprise.

The duration of quarantine is generally based upon the life-cycle of the most common disease organisms found in the fish species of interest. A quarantine period of 2-4 weeks at the optimal temperature is often recommended. The authors generally recommend a 4-week quarantine as a minimum for most species of fish, although many veterinarians would recommend 60-90 days of quarantine for many cool-water pond fish. However, this duration may not be practical for many businesses.  If a retailer is unable to complete recommended quarantine periods, they should strongly urge their customers to establish their own quarantine in the above fashion for the recommended period of time.

As the fish progress through the quarantine period, diseases may emerge, and treatment rather than culling of the affected fish may be considered. During quarantine fish must be examined daily. Dead or sick fish should be promptly culled and examined by trained staff or veterinarians to identify the cause of death or illness so that corrective and preventative measures and/or treatments can be started. When possible routine health monitoring of apparently healthy fish may be considered to identify emerging disease issues within a facility before they become a serious problem. Such monitoring may include: physical examination, skin scrapes, gill biopsies, fecal examinations, bacteriology, serology, molecular diagnostics and/or necropsy depending on the species and potential disease risks.

Your comments are always welcome. I’d be particularly interested in comments/experiences about implementing pathogen exclusion approaches at large import and/or production facilities.  In the next post I’ll discuss the principles of pathogen containment. TMM

animal husbandry, Aquaculture, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, Continuing education, Emerging issues, fish health management, fish health procedures, Freshwater tropicals, Marine Ornamental Fish, Procedures

Biosecurity Practices – Essential Considerations for the Pet Fish Industry: An Introduction

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Biosecurity has become an emerging issue within the ornamental fish industry. We are seeing increased discussions of  biosecurity concepts at the industry , veterinary and regulatory level. OFI has recently publish a book on biosecurity and there is chapter on biosecurity in the new book, Fundamentals of Ornamental Fish Health.  As I travel around  and visist ornamental fish facilities within the United states and internationally I am alsways interested  in learning about different approaches to biosecurity and fish health management. With my upcoming travels to Singapore and Malaysia I thought it would be a good time to begin a series of discussions about biosecurity from our perspective here at OSU. What follows are some thoughts developed by myself and my colleague, Dr. Jerry Heidel.

What is biosecurity?

Biosecurity consists of the practices and procedures used to prevent the introduction, emergence, spread, and persistence of infectious agents and disease within and around fish production and holding facilities. Furthermore, these practices help eliminate conditions that can enhance disease susceptibility among the fish. In short, biosecurity precautions are put in place to exclude and contain fish pathogens. Biosecurity practices are applicable to all levels of the ornamental fish industry: producers, wholesalers, retailers, and hobbyists.   Proper use of biosecurity measures will help prevent introduction of infectious disease in a fish facility, and will also help minimize the risk of diseases being passed from producer to hobbyist.

As import-export regulations for ornamental fish become increasingly stringent on a global level, veterinarians may be called upon to assist ornamental fish facilities in the planning and implementation of biosecurity programs. We will present a brief overview of the major considerations that should be taken into account when developing a biosecurity program for an ornamental fish facility.

Basic biosecurity procedures are uniform across the industry, but the biosecurity plan will be tailored to meet the special needs of each business.  As the scope, needs, and finances of the business change, the facility manager will modify and adjust biosecurity measures accordingly, yet maintain the basic tenets of good biosecurity practices.

Designing and implementing biosecurity practices can be simplified if we consider some basic themes: pathogen exclusion, pathogen containment, and basic best health practices. We will consider the elements of each, and show how these elements will allow you to hinder access of pathogens to a facility, control the spread of pathogens that may emerge, and promote high health and disease resistance among the fish in the facility. The overlap of practices addressing these themes will become evident.

Next we will discuss basic concepts of pathogen exclusion, pathogen containment and finally best health practices. I look forward to your discussions. TMM

animal husbandry, Antibiotic use, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, Continuing education, Drug and Chemical Use/Availability, educational opportunities, fish health management, fish health procedures, fish medicine, Fish Pharmaceuticals, Freshwater tropicals, Industry Profiles, Koi, Marine Ornamental Fish, Uncategorized, Views of the industry, viral disease, water quality related diseases

Industry Profile: Aquatic Animal Veterinarian

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THE PET FISH DOCTOR

March 2011

When your dog or cat needs medical care, it’s generally not difficult to find a local veterinarian who is familiar with the general afflictions facing these species. But if your fish needs a doctor, whom are you going to call? Veterinarians with knowledge of pet fish medicine may be few and far between, but they do exist.

Dr. Helen Roberts is a small and exotic animal veterinarian who is one of the few practitioners in the country who provide medical and surgical care for fish. Located only 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, she is a partner at the 5 Corners Animal Hospital and is the go-to fish doctor at her associated practice, Aquatic Veterinary Medicine of Western New York.  She says that when she talks to people about her work, most are “amazed” that she treats fish, and that she even performs surgery on fish. “I think the public perception is once a fish is sick, it’s dead,” she says. But through her veterinary practice, her educational publications and her lectures to all kinds of audiences about fish health, this outdated perception is beginning to change.

Continue reading

Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, Emerging issues, Entertainment, fish health management, fish health procedures, Freshwater tropicals, Koi, Koi Herpes Virus, Marine Ornamental Fish, parasitic diseases, Procedures, Uncategorized

Wet Pet Vet: OSU aquatic veterinarian is the good doctor for fish in captivity.

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Just out in the current issue of Oregon’s Agricultural Progress. Nice general discussion of a day in the life of our program, specifically many of my activities  in Newport when I’m not out and about in the state or more far flung regions. I hope you enjoy the article.

Continuing education, Emerging issues, fish health management, Freshwater tropicals, Fun, Industry Profiles, Views of the industry

Japan 2010 – Koi and More

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Hello from Japan!! I’ll be here with my host, Tony Prew of All Japan Koi, for a bit over a week. We’ll be visiting a number of  Koi farms in the Niigata and Hiroshima and attending two agricultural shows where koi breeders show off some of their best stock. We’ll also be visiting two public aquariums and meeting with the curators and veterinarians at these facilities. Along the way we will also have the opportunity to visit some tropical fish retail facilities.

My goals, as they were with previous trips, are to gain a better understanding the Japanese koi industry,  health management practices within the Japanese koi industry, improve my knowledge of koi quality assessment, continue to develop opportunities within the koi industry and public aquarium sector for collaboration in research, education and outreach.

I would also like to express my continued gratitude to Tony Prew and Mr. Hoshino Masaharu of Koda Koi Farm in Niigata and Mr. Joji Konishi of Konishi Koi Farm in Hiroshima for their hospitality and ongoing patience with my endless questions.

Below are a few images from our first full day in Niigata at the koi farms. We also visited a tropical fish retail facility with some beautiful planted aquariums!!


View from our Hotel, the Uono River and Shinano River
A fuzzy picture of Dr. Tim at breakfast before we head out to the farms.
Tony and Hoshino-san confer over some 3 year-olds.
Dr. Tim discussing the merits of a particular koi with Tony and Rodger Meyer, a hobbyists from Oregon
Gin rin kohaku
Some beautiful planted aquariums, Retail store in Ojyia City
Check out this bog filter!!
Aquatic Bonsai
aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, Emerging diseases, fish health management, fish health procedures, fish medicine, Koi, Koi Herpes Virus, quarantine, viral disease

Dr. Tim rambling on about various aspects of Koi Health on KoiTV

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Koi-TV features videos of Dr. Tim demonstrating and discussing various common fish health procedures and protocols on koi. These were all done in one take. To my colleagues who will say, ” you should have mentioned…..”, yes I know. I will address some these in later posts. It’s hard to remember everything without cue cards.

My profound thanks to Promod and Sumi from KoiTV for their patience on this project. I hope we can continue and produce some more educational vignettes.

animal husbandry, Aquarium Science, biosecurity, Emerging diseases, Emerging issues, fish health management, Marine Ornamental Fish, parasitic diseases, Views of the industry

NEWS AND LINKS: OCTOBER 11, 2010

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  • You may now access all of the abstracts for the papers and posters presented at the Sixth International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health held in Tampa, Florida, September 5-9th 2010. This international meeting occurs every 4 years. Scientists, aquatic health professionals, industry professionals from all over the world gather for this meeting every 4 years. It’s the Olympics of aquatic animal health.
  • Just published in Reviews of Fisheries Science, Development of Captive Breeding Techniques for Marine Ornamental Fish: A Review.
  • FAO Proposes new Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification. Many of the issues with small-scale producers would certainly apply to the ornamental fish sector. While such certification could be valuable to the ornamental fish industry it seems to me that implementation could  be much more difficult given the huge diversity of species. (What do you think? Could this be done with the global ornamental fish industry? How would you approach this problem? IS the Marine Aquarium Council Certification program for marine ornamentals a good model? TMM)

From Ornamental Fish International (my comments in bold, italics):

  • EU CONSULTATION ON BIODIVERSITY
    The European Union is currently undertaking a public consultation on the EU Biodiversity strategy. This topic is important for our industry as well, as it touches issues like trade legislation (including our trade). EU biodiversity strategy is available from the website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/biodecline.htm <http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/biodecline.htm> The objective of this consultation is to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders on possible policy options for the European Union’s post-2010 EU biodiversity strategy, which will be assessed by the Commission as part of the process of its development.
  • VACCINE FOR WHITE SPOT DISEASE (ICH)
    (    from www.onlineprnews.com)
    Scientists have shown that fish can be immunized against Ich, the ‘white-spot’ disease, but growing the parasite in large quantities for immunization use is problematic.

    Fish can be immunized against Ich, the dreaded “white-spot” disease, that is the bane of home aquarists and commercial fish farmers, government scientists have shown. Although the team still has many obstacles to overcome, the study presented at a Boston meeting of the American Chemical Society indicates for the first time that a protective vaccine is within reach.

    Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, commonly known as Ich, is the most common protozoan parasite of fish. It is characterized by the appearance of white spots, about the size of salt or sugar granules, on the fishes’ skin, and is especially common when fish are grown in crowded conditions. Symptoms include loss of appetite, rapid breathing, hiding or resting on the bottom of tanks or ponds, and rubbing or scratching against objects. The disease kills 50% to 100% of those infected. (    Here’s a link to a bit more information from Science Daily.TMM)
  • OFI POLL
    In the previous months we had an interesting Poll in the OFI website. The question was: Most important tradeshow for my business is? 43% of the respondents mentioned Interzoo, which in itself considering the size of this show is of course not so surprising. We were pleased to see that the specialized aquatic show Aquarama was second in this list with 41%. This despite the fact that the Poll was on-line before and during Interzoo. The general pet trade show in Las Vegas came out third with 7% and Aquafair Malaysia fourth with 3%. Other shows listed 5%.
  • AUSTRALIA TO RESTRICT IMPORTS?
    To reduce the risk on imports of certain iridovirusses, the Australian government is in the process for developing legislation to address these risks. In July a report was published which can be downloaded here <http://www.ofish.org/files/files/iridovirusses-australia.pdf> . (An interesting read and a chance to see how countries carry out import risk assessments. TMM)

    Main recommendation: restrict imports from disease free countries only, or start batch testing of all poecilids, gouramis and cichlids, which enter Australia. This is about 67% of all Australian imports! The first option seems to be a theoretical option only as exporting countries to Australia will have very serious problems to introduce the required procedures and controls to declare these countries or farms free of the Iridovirusses. Batch testing demands a high number from fish of every batch (all specimens of the same species and origin in the shipment).

    This recommendation will lead to the killing of very, very many healthy fish every year. It will also lead to a huge increase of cost, as importers will have to pay for these fish, for their transport and for the testing. Altogether it is a huge incentive to breeding of fish within Australia. (Also raises the question – could the screening be pushed to producers? THe costs might be lower? But is the disease screening infrastructure available in the countries of origin? Koi imported into the USA must now come from sources certified free of Spring Viremia of Carp Virus. There is a mechanism for this type of screening outlined in the OIE Code and Manual. However, adequate, validated diagnostic tests must be available for screening these fish. TMM)

    Lets hope the Australian authorities will also consider the cost of these recommendations for both importers and government, and the ethical aspects of the ideas of some veterinarians. (THis is a tough balancing act. The Australian authorities must balance the needs of this industry with the need to protect their food fish aquaculture industry and protect their wild fish resources. This is an issue every country must face at some point. How would you address these issues? Remember, even inaction is a decision that may have long-lasting ramifications. TMM)
animal husbandry, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, fish health management, Marine Ornamental Fish, Mortality, quarantine, Survival, Views of the industry

Ornamental Marine Fish Survival Survey

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Coral Magazine recently posted an online survey intended to address survival of ornamental marine fish in their readers tanks. Coral Magazine put this survey out in response to an editorial and book promotion written by Robert Winter and posted on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society website.

The current survey results are based upon approximately 250-300 responses according to James Lawrence the editor and publisher of Coral magazine. He cautions that Coral readers tend to be high achievers in the marine aquarium keeping world but there also were a few responders that are new to the hobby.

Both items have stimulated a number of interesting responses. I found Dr. Neil Monks response particularly thought provoking.

I encourage you to review the survey results and read the various responses. What’s clear is that the answers are not simple and people are passionate about these issues but that there is much room for improvement when it comes to overall health management of these species from reef to the home tank. I appreciate Coral Magazine’s willingness to delve into this issue and I’ve found the forum discussions to be very interesting.

As with any industry and hobby there are conscientious and unscrupulous players. It is always easy to point fingers but I’m most interested in how we can constantly move to improve the quality of marine ornamental fish health. Parts of the survey begin to get at this but I’d like to hear some suggestions addressing how the industry and the hobby can begin to be more proactive when addressing these issues.

Some questions for discussion:

  • Can there be sustainable harvest?
  • Is aquaculture the answer?
  • If so, what about the many communities that depend upon wild harvest for their livelihoods?
  • Do you think certification is or can be effective?
  • How can we incentivize improved health management throughout the supply chain?
  • How can we better reach hobbyists and instill the importance of quality husbandry?
  • Is it possible to economically insert quarantine and disease screening into the industry?
  • If not, how can we convince hobbyists to set up their own quarantine systems?
  • How would you go about convincing a new  hobbyist to institute quarantine?
  • Can veterinarians play a role here? If so, how? If not, why?
  • If the global veterinary profession could assist the industry and hobby what would be the most appropriate role we should play?
  • Obviously, my focus is on fish health. Feel free to insert other issues into the discussion.

In past posts I’ve been accused of preaching to the choir. That’s fine because I’m interested in your thoughts as active/passionate members of this hobby and industry .  Be creative. Think outside the box.

So, Let’s hear your your thoughts, comments and ideas!! Just be civil!!

animal husbandry, biosecurity, fish health management, quarantine

Sustainable Aquarium Keeping: A Recent article about green aquaria from Slate.com

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See the recent post by Nina Shen Rastogi at http://www.slate.com/id/2221024/.

Some other important points that I would also emphasize:

  • Learn as much as you can about the particular fish species and their needs in captivity before they are purchased. This research might lead one to decide that a particular fish is not the right species for them to maintain in an aquarium.
  • Focus on purchasing healthy fish in the first place. Learn the general signs that indicate a healthy fish as well as a sick fish ( I’ll discuss these in future posts).
  • Find a trusted fish supplier that is genuinely concerned about selling healthy fish and educating his or her customers about maintaining healthy fish.
  • Seriously consider utilizing a quarantine for all new arrivals before they are added to holding or display tanks (more about this later).

We can all do our part by keeping our fish as healthy as possible. We do this by understanding the needs of the animals in our care, demanding healthy well handled fish from our supplier and by practicing excellent health management while these animals are in our care. These are a few of the small, but important, ways we can work to preserve the wild resources by striving to keep the animals in our care healthy and long-lived.

Can this be a truly green/sustainable industry/hobby? If so, what do you think that would look like in 20 years?

Comments and criticisms?