Aquatic animal health management

As fish farming activities increase, so do fish diseases. Aquatic animal diseases present a substantial threat and, consequently, aquatic animal health management has a critical role in food security. An ecosystem approach to aquaculture will mitigate impacts on ecosystem services and biodiversity, and provide the necessary resilience to future disease threats, including those exacerbated by climate change. Improved aquatic animal health management must be a key component ofaquaculture's future. Improved disease reporting and response is critical in the control of listed and emerging diseases and can only be achieved through government, industry and stakeholder collaboration. Great potential exists to improve biosecurity from the farm to national level, but this can only be achieved through collaboration. Industry cannot develop effective biosecurity without a clear government strategy and support, specifically legislation which provides an effective framework for safe trade. The legislature and policy arms have a key role in creating a regulatory environment that supports effective biosecurity and is attractive to investment; such as one that supports the development and regulatory approval of therapeutics. The improved control of transboundary diseases requires the wider and more consistent implementation of OIE standards, particularly on disease notification. This can only be achieved through improved collaboration between trading partners and by supporting farming communities to strengthen their aquatic animal health services. There is incredible potential for aquaculture to continue its rapid growth and increase its contribution to food security. However, sustainable growth of aquaculture is threatened by both known diseases, which we cannot effectively control, and new diseases, which may become pandemic. Recent pandemics have shown that fish production systems are epidemiologically connected and, consequently, aquatic animal diseases present a shared threat that demands solidarity across the different stakeholders. The country now depends on a sustainable future for aquaculture and improved aquatic animal health management is critical to its continued and growing contribution to national food security. Through this research platform, ARDC detects, treats and designs monitoring tools to avoid or prevent occurrence of diseases on fish farms and in the lakes.

Achievements

i. Developed validated and evaluated diagnostic kits for Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) for use in Uganda. Constraint addressed: TiLV outbreak causing fish mortality and financial losses to farmers, hence the need to prevent occurrence of TiLV in Uganda.
ii. Identified common fish diseases and parasites affecting wild and farmed Nile tilapia in Uganda and preventive measures established to guide farmers. Constraint addressed: Increasing prevalence of fish diseases and parasites causing fish mortality following adoption of commercial aquaculture (higher fish stocking densities) in Uganda.