Biosecurity in Aquaculture: Balancing Sustainability and Disease Control

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 2451

Special Issue Editors

Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: aquaculture; biosecurity; disease control
Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: aquatic animal health; epidemiology; veterinary medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector in the world, and it significantly contributes to global food security. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) predict that aquatic food production will increase by 15% by 2030, and this growth will mostly derive from aquaculture.

Infectious diseases have been a limiting factor for the sustainable intensification and expansion of the aquaculture sector. To prevent and control these diseases, biosecurity, comprehensive treatment plans for animal populations, and novel prevention strategies are required. The implementation of these measures can be at different spatial and management levels (e.g. country, zone, compartment, and farm), and they need to target a range of farm types, including small farm holdings and large corporate farms.

In this Special Issue, we invite contributions (either short communications, original research manuscripts, or reviews) which address any aspects of biosecurity in aquaculture, new disease control strategies, and/or novel prevention technologies.

Dr. Ladan Jahangiri
Prof. Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • aquaculture
  • biosecurity
  • disease control
  • health status
  • infectious diseases

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 1065 KiB  
Article
Concentration, Life Stage, Feeding, Density, Flow, and Strain Effects on Formalin Sensitivity in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
by Eric R. Fetherman, Brad Neuschwanger, Chris Praamsma and Tracy Davis
Animals 2023, 13(15), 2425; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13152425 - 27 Jul 2023
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Abstract
Formalin is one of the most widely used and effective chemotherapeutic compounds for treatment of fungal infections and external parasites of fish eggs and fish. However, exposure to formalin can cause mortality in eggs and fingerlings, dependent upon the concentration used and the [...] Read more.
Formalin is one of the most widely used and effective chemotherapeutic compounds for treatment of fungal infections and external parasites of fish eggs and fish. However, exposure to formalin can cause mortality in eggs and fingerlings, dependent upon the concentration used and the rearing conditions in which fish are treated. Additionally, strains within a species can exhibit differential susceptibility to formalin. Four experiments were conducted to evaluate the differential sensitivity to formalin of four rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) strains in both the egg and fingerling life stages. Eggs were exposed to concentrations of 1667, 2000, and 5000 ppm formalin, and sensitivity differed among the strains when formalin concentration exceeded 2000 ppm. Exposure to higher formalin concentrations (i.e., 5000 ppm) as eggs did not increase mortality when fish were re-exposed to concentrations of 0, 167, 250, or 500 ppm formalin at 77 mm total length (TL). Fish size affected formalin sensitivity, with larger fish (128 mm TL) exhibiting higher rates of mortality than fish ≤ 77 mm TL when exposed to 250 ppm formalin. The effects of crowding, feeding, flow, and density on the formalin sensitivity of 77 mm TL fish were also investigated. Mortality increased in fish crowded away from the inflow to prevent contact with formalin as it entered the tank, potentially the result of an increase in density index within the crowded tanks. Feeding fish on the day they were treated caused mortality to increase by 5.4 to 8.8% in fish exposed to 167 and 250 ppm formalin, respectively, and mortality differed by strain. Reducing flows by half resulted in doubled to quadrupled mortality, and increased densities resulted in increased mortality in some strains but not others. Hatchery managers should consider what effect rearing conditions and formalin concentrations might have on the strain of fish being treated, prior to large-scale treatment. Full article
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Review

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18 pages, 4356 KiB  
Review
A Scoping Review on GIS Technologies Applied to Farmed Fish Health Management
by Tiziano Dorotea, Giorgia Riuzzi, Eleonora Franzago, Paulette Posen, Saraya Tavornpanich, Alessio Di Lorenzo, Laura Ferroni, Walter Martelli, Matteo Mazzucato, Grazia Soccio, Severino Segato and Nicola Ferrè
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223525 - 15 Nov 2023
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Abstract
Finfish aquaculture, one of the fastest growing intensive sectors worldwide, is threatened by numerous transmissible diseases that may have devastating impacts on its economic sustainability. This review (2010–2022) used a PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and a text mining approach to explore the [...] Read more.
Finfish aquaculture, one of the fastest growing intensive sectors worldwide, is threatened by numerous transmissible diseases that may have devastating impacts on its economic sustainability. This review (2010–2022) used a PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and a text mining approach to explore the extent to which geographical information systems (GIS) are used in farmed fish health management and to unveil the main GIS technologies, databases, and functions used to update the spatiotemporal data underpinning risk and predictive models in aquatic surveillance programmes. After filtering for eligibility criteria, the literature search provided 54 records, highlighting the limited use of GIS technologies for disease prevention and control, as well as the prevalence of GIS application in marine salmonid farming, especially for viruses and parasitic diseases typically associated with these species. The text mining generated five main research areas, underlining a limited range of investigated species, rearing environments, and diseases, as well as highlighting the lack of GIS-based methodologies at the core of such publications. This scoping review provides a source of information for future more detailed literature analyses and outcomes to support the development of geospatial disease spread models and expand in-field GIS technologies for the prevention and mitigation of fish disease epidemics. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Shrimp farming knowledge, attitude, and perception in Sri Lanka: from antimicrobial use to husbandry
Author: Ariyawansa
Highlights: • Study provides insights into the management practices employed in shrimp farms in Sri Lanka, with a focus on the use of probiotics (72%) as the primary means to maintain optimal shrimp health. • No evidence of antimicrobial use during the rearing periods was found, emphasizing the importance of implementing strong biosecurity measures to ensure the health and sustainability of shrimp farms.

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