BIOSECURITY IN AQUACULTURE

 Roy P. E. Yanong*
 
 Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program
School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida/IFAS
Ruskin, FL 33570
rpy@ufl.edu
 

Good health management and disease prevention are critical to the economic success of any aquaculture business. Despite this, many aquaculture facility owners build a facility and develop a business plan without incorporating a detailed health and disease management plan that incorporates solid biosecurity principles. The facility management team should include a consulting or in-house aquaculture veterinarian and/or other health professional who can help develop the plan.  

Biosecurity practices reduce livestock stressors and susceptibility to disease. Over the past few decades, several important disease outbreaks in both U.S. aquaculture (e.g., spring viremia of carp, koi herpesvirus disease) and wild fish populations (viral hemorrhagic septicemia type IVb) have increased the U.S. industry's awareness of the importance of biosecurity. Determining specific points in production when pathogens (disease-causing parasites, bacteria, viruses and fungi) can enter a population or when disease outbreaks are more likely to occur will help producers develop effective and logical preventative measures. Good biosecurity minimizes the fishes' exposure and susceptibility to pathogens, reduces economic losses from mortalities and treatments, and helps prevent mandatory depopulation and other drastic measures.

Three major focus areas of biosecurity are: a) animal management;  b) pathogen management; and c) people management. A number of factors should be considered when determining risk from a specific infectious disease: a) species, immune status, condition, life stage, and strain susceptibility; b) major environmental factors such as water quality, water chemistry, and husbandry practices; c) characteristics of the pathogen, such as biology and life cycle, potential reservoirs (carriers, other animals), survival on inanimate objects (equipment), options for legal treatment(s), regulatory status (exotic vs. endemic disease, reportability, and federal, state and local laws); and d) management and staff understanding of biosecurity principles and compliance with biosecurity protocols. The "five-finger" method (K. Hartman) can be used to remember where pathogens can come from: a) animals; b) water; c) feed/food; d) vectors (i.e., animals/people); and e) fomites (e.g., environment, equipment, vehicles, boats).

A good biosecurity plan should be written (or digital), easily accessible, should flow logically and be easily understood.  Though not a comprehensive list, the plan should include: health team members, roles, and contact information;  a layout and flow of the facility; identification of, and methods to minimize the risk of infectious disease and pathogen introduction and spread within or from a facility; quarantine and isolation protocols; cleaning and disinfection protocols; clear guidance on actions to be taken in the event of a disease outbreak and in order to return to business as usual; communication and record keeping; training programs for staff; and a mechanism to ensure regular review of the plan itself by management and employees.