History of Fish Health Management

1. History of Fish Health Management • Fish Health Management: • Management practices designed to prevent fish disease episodes in confined or free ranging fish populations. • Aquaculture: • The art and science of rearing aquatic organisms (finfish, shellfish, aquatic reptiles, amphibians, and plants) under controlled conditions.

2. History of Fish Health Management • The occurrence of disease in fish was known prior to 1900’s but was of no practical significance • Advancement in knowledge is directly related to development of intensive aquaculture • North America – development associated with AFS • Developed separately from health sciences of other animal groups

3. History of Fish Health Management • Requires much different approach than terrestrial animals • Environmental factors (Aquatic) • Must have knowledge of environment and animal to effectively manage around/diagnose disease

4. History of Fish Health Management • Early reports related to fish disease (very little) • Aristotle (330 BC) • Discussed a crustacean parasite of tuna and swordfish • Lake Geneva Switzerland (1867) • Reports of disease (typhus) in fish • Yellow discharge from vent (probably due to lack of food)

5. History of Fish Health • - Disease in Salmon and Eels (1868) • “Pestis salmonum” or “Pestis rubra anguillarum” • - Disease now known as vibriosis • Furunculosis (1896) • Cultured trout in Germany • “Bacterium salmonicida” • First referenced in US in 1902 • Very serious disease

6. History of Fish Health • Furunculosis committee (1928) – Great Britain • Set up to help combat disease • Increased interest in other diseases of fish • Made people aware – Research began to investigate pathological changes in fish due to disease (1930’s to 1950’s) • Disease agent characterization • Most research done as a hobby not profession

7. History of Fish Health • Fish culturists • Became aware of the relationship to fish health and stocking in troughs, raceways and ponds • Not all diseases were infectious • Began to disinfect equipment • Was a learning process • Toxic substances • Advent of insecticides/herbicides • Causes fish health and environmental problems

8. History of Fish Health • 1947 to 1960 • Rapid progress • Advances in nutrition • Development of antibiotic/chemical therapy for fish disease control • better disinfectants • Viral diseases of fish discovered • IPN (1960) • implications for control/spread of pathogens

9. History of Fish Health • Fish importation/transportation (’60s and ’70s) • Moved fish and eggs everywhere • Fish health specialists advocated control of the movements of fish/fish eggs • AFS • formed Fish Disease Committee (FDC) in 1964 - 1972 • developed to examine disease problems among fish

10. History of Fish Health • FDC • promoted restrictions fish movement • developed USFWS Title 50 – this restricted movement of certain food or sport fishes (1969) • Fish movement now only allowed for certified pathogen free fish (Board certified fish pathologists) • Ornamental fish still remain free of such restrictions • FDC replaced by Fish Health Section of AFS in 1972

11. History of Fish Health • Current Status • made great progress • still much to do to bring up to the level of knowledge for other animals • Future needs • more work needed in control of disease in aquaculture and for wild populations • research on Epizootiology • more work on pathological processes • fish immunology – disease prevention • nutrition and genetics • disease diagnostics