Category Archives: Procedures

animal husbandry, Aquatic Invasive Species, biosecurity, Continuing education, educational opportunities, Emerging diseases, Emerging issues, fish health management, fish health procedures, Freshwater tropicals, Husbandry Training, Koi, Koi Herpes Virus, Marine Ornamental Fish, Procedures, quarantine, Uncategorized, viral disease, water quality, water quality related diseases

Save the Dates!! Two Educational Opportunities in Newport

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The Aquatic Animal Health Program will be offering two seminars/workshops in the coming months that may be of interest to hobbyists and individuals working in the ornamental fish industry.

 

Emerging Issues in Aquatic Animal Health: Ornamental Fish

September 29, 2012

Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR

Cost: $100.00

Registration online (click here)

Purpose: The goal of this regular seminar is to provide an opportunity for industry professionals and ornamental fish hobbyists to learn about emerging and current aquatic animal health issues that affect the industry and to receive updates about ongoing research related to these important issues.

 

Seminar topics and Speakers:

—Fish Stress, Pain and Welfare: What do we know and what can your do? – —Dr. Carl Schreck, Fish Stress Physiologist, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University

—Aquatic Invasive Species in the pet store and the classroom: Is it a problem? How can retailers help prevent the introduction of non-native aquatic animals?— – Dr. Sam Chan, Aquatic Ecosystem Health Specialist, Oregon Sea Grant, Oregon State University

—What’s New with Koi Herpes Virus? – Dr. Ling Jin, Virologist, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University
—Mycobacteriosis, an ongoing issue within the ornamental fish industry: What have we learned about managing this disease? – Dr. Mike Kent, Fish Pathologist/Parasitologist, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University
—Bacterial disease and antibiotic resistance among imported ornamental fish: Should you worry? – Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, Extension Veterinarian – Aquatic Species, Oregon Sea Grant, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University

 

 

Koi Health Basics: Seminar and Wet Lab

October 13, 2012

Hatfield Marine Science Center

Newport, OR

Cost: $100.00

Registration online (click here)

OVERVIEW: The purpose of the seminar and wet lab is to introduce the novice koi keeper to the basics of koi health including: the biology of koi health, disease recognition and prevention, quarantine, proper fish handling and the basic health evaluation.

Instructors:

—Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, Extension Veterinarian – Aquatics
—Dr. Trace Petersen, Aquatic Veterinarian/Fish Pathologist
—Dr. Nadia Stegeman, Aquatic Veterinarian

 

 

 

 

 

 


Aquaculture, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, Emerging diseases, Emerging issues, fish health management, Fish Pharmaceuticals, Freshwater tropicals, Koi Herpes Virus, Marine Ornamental Fish, Procedures, Uncategorized, viral disease

Viral disease in Ornamental Fish

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Since we are on the topic of viral diseases, I thought I’d share a few recent publications about viral diseases in ornamental fish and a few associated with food fish. These are excellent  publications that are not too technical but provide a nice overview of the current state of our knowledge regarding the biology and management of these diseases.

Below are two background publications about the basics of fish viral diseases and the potential role of vaccination as part of an overall biosecurity program.

 

animal husbandry, Antibiotic use, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, bacterial diseases, biosecurity, Continuing education, Drug and Chemical Use/Availability, educational opportunities, Emerging diseases, fish health management, fish health procedures, fish medicine, Fish Pharmaceuticals, Freshwater tropicals, fungal diseases, Husbandry Training, Invertebrate health, Koi, Koi Herpes Virus, Marine Ornamental Fish, Mortality, parasitic diseases, Procedures, quarantine, record keeping, standard operating procedures, Uncategorized, viral disease, water quality, water quality related diseases

2012 Ornamental Fish Medicine Course, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, Oregon

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Just finished teaching 1 week intensive Ornamental Fish Medicine Course. Great group of 12 participants: 8 senior veterinary students from OSU, 2 professional aquarists (Oregon Coast Aquarium and Seattle Aquarium), 1 veterinarian from the SEattle Aquarium, and 1 colleague from India ( Dr. Anna Mercy, Kerala College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences). Great learning experience for all of us. Great exchanges during the lectures, labs, group projects and case studies. Looking forward to next year. Considering expanding to 2 weeks. Thanks to my co-instructors: Dennis Glaze, Dr. Jerry Heidel, Stu Clausen, and Dr. Anna Mercy.

 

Dr. Mercy is from Kerala College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, India. She participated in the course but was also kind enough to give two lectures. One lecture addressed the current status of the Indian ornamental fish industry and outreach work she has lead to train ornamental fish farmers. In the second lecture Dr. Mercy discussed some of the common health problems associated with collecting native broodstock  and breeding these fish in captivity. We recorded both of these lectures and you will be able to view them on our YouTube channel soon. I will post the links once the lectures have been posted.

 

Here’s the course outline for the course this year.

 

VMB 727
ORNAMENTAL FISH MEDICINE
April 2-6, 2012
Lead Instructor:
Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, DVM
Oregon Sea Grant – Aquatic Animal Health
College of Veterinary Medicine
tim.miller-morgan@oregonstate.edu
Co-Instructors:
Dr. Jerry Heidel, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Cert. Fish Pathologist
Dennis Glaze, AAS – Aquarium Science
Stuart Clausen, BS, Cert. Aquarium Science

 

Recommended Texts:
o Wildgoose, W. 2001. BSAVA Manual of Ornamental Fish, Second Edition, BSAVA, Gloucester, UK 304p. Available through Amazon.com and Blackwell Publishing.
o Noga, E. 2010. Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment. Mosby, New York. Available through Amazon.com and Blackwell Publishing Roberts, H. 2010.
o Roberts, H. (2010) Fundamentals of Ornamental Fish Health, Wiley-Blackwell, New York. 229p.

 

MONDAY (We’ll start @ 0900)
AM (Old Library)
• Introduction
• Ornamental Fish: Essential Anatomy and Physiology and the Interface with the Captive Environment. (Old Library)
PM
• Clinical approach and procedures (Old Library)
• Laboratory: fish handling, sedation and common clinical procedures (West Wing – AAHTL)

 

TUESDAY
AM
• Laboratory: Review – Components water management systems (Dennis Glaze, West Wing – AAHTL)
• Life Support System Assessment (Old Library)
o Fish Health Cases I (Handout) – water management cases

PM
• Fish Necropsy and Dissection (Lab – TBA, Dr. Jerry Heidel)
• Laboratory: fish handling, sedation and common clinical procedures, cont. (West Wing – AAHTL)

• Evening Lecture – An Overview of the Indian Ornamental Fish Industry (Dr. Anna Mercy)

 

WEDNESDAY
AM
• Common Clinical Problems of Ornamental fish I (Old Library)
• Common Clinical Problems of Pet Fish II (Old Library)

PM

• Common Clinical Problems of Pet Fish II cont. (Old Library)
• Management and treatment of fish disease
• Laboratory: fish handling, sedation and common clinical procedures, cont. (West Wing – AAHTL)
o Fish Health Cases II (Handout) – Medical Cases

 

THURSDAY
AM
• Biosecurity and the Essential Principles of Fish Health Management (Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan)
• Collection, Transport and Acclimation of Ornamental Fish ( Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan)
• Handout Biosecurity consultation problems (Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan and Dennis Glaze)

PM
• Common Health Management Issues Associated with the Production of Native Indian Fish Species (Dr. Anna Mercy)
• Case Discussions I

 

FRIDAY
AM (Old Library)
• Laboratory:
o Assessing fish populations (Oregon Coast Aquarium)
o Handling, sedation and clinical examination of elasmobranchs (Stu Clausen, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Passages of the Deep)
PM (Old Library)
• Biosecurity Consultation problem (Old Library)
• Case Discussions II
• Evaluations

 

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, 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

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.