February 15-18, 2009 Washington State Convention Center Seattle ...

VHS BIOSECURITY WORKSHOPS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF FISH DISEASE HACCP
PLANS IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION OF THE US
Jeffrey A. Malison*, Ronald E. Kinnunen, Ronald E. Johnson, Sarah E. Kaatz and James A. Held
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture
Demonstration Facility (NADF)
College of Letters and Science
Stevens Point, WI 54481 USA
edjayson@seafdec.org.ph
In September, 2008 we will begin a significant extension and outreach project focusing on VHS and other fish diseases. The
project will be funded by the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center (NCRAC). We plan to conduct a series of six biosecurity
workshops held at different fish farms across the region, targeting flow-through, pond, and recirculation systems. We will
utilize the existing Aquatic Invasive Species Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Training Curriculum to develop
specific fish disease HACCP plans for each of the six facilities involved in the workshops. The workshops will utilize extension
materials developed by the Iowa State University Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH), including a VHS
response package and PowerPoint presentation. The workshops will be organized in close collaboration with local fish farmers
and appropriate state aquaculture associations. Each workshop will include presentations and demonstrations delivered by
individuals with diverse areas of expertise in aquaculture. These will include NADF and other regional aquaculture extension
specialists, private fish farmers, representatives from state aquaculture associations, regional aquatic veterinarians or fish health
specialists, state regulators, and national regulatory, research, and advisory agencies.
We will then develop and distribute three model fish disease HACCP plans, one each for flow-through, pond, and recirculation
systems, relying heavily on the specific plans developed. The model HACCP plans will be made available electronically
through the NADF, CFSPH, and NCRAC Web sites, and by hard copy.
We will also capture all of the proceedings of the workshops and HACCP development efforts on video. Using this footage, a
cohesive video will be prepared that will detail all of the key issues involving VHS, fish diseases in general, and fish disease
HACCP plan development. This video will be made available on DVD as well as streaming video on the aforementioned Web
sites.
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