Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
Forest Resources and Conservation
Non Technical Summary
Florida's aquaculture industries are complex because many different species are raised in many different ways. In addition, many of these, including those raised for the aquarium industry and those purchased for grow out at other farms, are sold live, and therefore must also be in the best of health for shipment and ultimate sale at distant locations. Aquaculture health is critical for the organisms and for producers' financial success. However, good health is also important to minimize environmental impact and ensure human safety. Annual losses to the industry caused by disease have been estimated to be $6-10 million. Ultimately, better understanding will improve Florida and the U.S.'s competitiveness in a global market. Diseases in aquaculture are caused by several factors: environmental influences, infectious disease agents including new diseases, management protocols, and the organism's own ability to stay healthy. Understanding these factors is necessary to better prevent and manage disease. When disease does occur, producers also need as many legal, safe and effective options as possible to reduce losses. A better understanding of health management will help reduce losses and increase efficiency and profits. Knowledge needed includes: baseline information on healthy and diseased animals; a better understanding of emerging or more established diseases at all life-stages during production and shipment; and how and why differences in populations of fish affect their health. Better methods for treating sick aquatic animals are also needed. Legal options are very limited, and for some common diseases, no legal drugs are currently available. Similarly, the use of vaccines and other preventative methods are still limited in aquaculture but can help further reduce the need for drugs and chemicals.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
Florida's aquaculture industries are complex with regard to species cultured, systems, and other health-related industry challenges. Losses caused by disease in Florida's tropical fish industry have been estimated at $6-10 million annually. Disease in aquaculture results from adverse interactions between the animal host and the environment, and is ultimately determined by the effectiveness of the animal's response to both non-infectious and infectious stressors (Brown 1993; Stoskopf 1993; Iwama et al. 1997; Noga, 2010). Disease outbreaks often result from practices aimed at maximizing efficiency and from environmental factors that can be difficult to control in outdoor systems (Noga, 2010). Hundreds of aquacultured species, complex movement of animals throughout the industry at all levels, differences in production practices, established and emerging diseases and disease diagnostics (Yanong 2003; Noga 2010; Soto et al. 2012), microflora interactions in systems (Yanong et al. 2010) and limited drug and biologic options make disease prevention and management in Florida's aquaculture industries a challenge (Russo and Yanong 2009; Noga 2010). To best manage the health of the numerous aquatic species cultured in Florida, baseline health parameters for clinically normal and diseased animals are required. This includes evaluation and determination of health parameters and characterization of emerging or more established diseases, disease progression, and epidemiology (including risk factors). Studies evaluating health during all life stages (including reproduction), as well as general production and shipping practices, are also important to the industry from an economic and health perspective (Iwama et al 1997). In addition, genetic make-up, i.e., strain variations, have been shown to enhance resistance to disease. Nutrition also plays an important role in fish health (Yanong 1999; Yanong 2001a and 2001b). Drugs, chemicals, and biologics are important fish health management tools for both increased production, reproduction, disease prevention, and disease management (Brown 1993, Stoskopf 1993; Crosby et al. 2005). Pharmaceutical companies have had little economic incentive to apply for drug approvals for ornamental fish, although recent legislation (the Minor Use Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004) adds more innovative and cost-effective options including "The Index of Legally Marketed Unapproved New Animal Drugs for Minor Species" (the "Index"). The purpose of the INAD program is to allow limited use of drugs for field and clinical research, the data of which will be used to support New Animal Drug Application (NADA) approval or "Index" designation ("Minor Use Minor Species Index of Legally Marketed, Unapproved Drugs"), which allows for legal access of several important aquaculture drugs. Biologics such as vaccines can be cost-effective, but have not been used routinely in Florida's industry. Drug research must include determination of proper dose and dose interval, evaluation of target animal and user safety, efficacy against the target organism(s), and cost effectiveness (Trushenski et al. 2013).
Project Methods
The complexities of Florida's aquaculture industries' health needs necessitate a multi-pronged approach. Health of populations under natural, industry standard, or controlled experimental conditions will be evaluated using one or more of the following: detailed management, transport, and environmental history; water quality and system evaluation; behavioral observations, external exam and general morphometrics; necropsy, blood clinical chemistry and hematology, histology, microbiology/virology, electron microscopy, radiography and other imaging methods, and molecular methods. Emerging or established diseases will be characterized through diagnostics of clinical cases, i.e., examinations from field or production facilities, sent to our disease diagnostic lab, and correlative studies of these clinical cases (Yanong, et al. 1998). Experimental or clinical trials will be used to examine various management and therapeutic approaches, including water and system manipulation, genetic/strain variations, nutrition, use of probiotics, immunostimulants, drugs, chemicals, and biologics, all to determine effectiveness for more efficient production, therapy, or survival on farms. Field trials will be used to evaluate onsite effectiveness of these compounds.