Fish Hatchery Management - fisheries & aquaculture

FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT 291broad in concept or may dictate pathogen eradication. The latter is muchmore difficult to achieve, as it is possible to have disease control withoutpathogen eradication. Inspection, quarantine, and subsequent eradicationare proven measures in livestock and poultry husbandry.After the goals of disease control have been established, it is necessary todesign a policy that is compatible with other fishery resource priorities'The backbone of the policy should be a monitoring Program that willdetermine the range of serious fish pathogens and detect new outbreaks ofdisease. Control and containment of fish diseases require the periodic examinationof hatchery populations as well as fish that are free-ranging innatural waters. Good health of hatchery fish extends beyond their culturalconfinement to natural populations which they contact after being stocked.A monitoring program should include:(t) rislhealth laboratories capable of following standardized proceduresused to analyze fish specimens. These may include tests for disease agents,nutritional deficiencies, histology, tissue residues' etc.(2) A co.ps of competent, qualified individuals trained in inspection andlaboratory procedures.(3) A trainlng program in fish health for all persons involved in fish husbandry.(4) Ag.e"-ents between various government agencies and private grouPsto establish lines of communication as well as the storage and cataloging ofdata derived from the monitoring program.(5) Specific guidelines for laboratory procedures to be followed and forqualifications of persons doing the inspections and testing.(O) fne development of specific steps for disease reporting and of a certificationsystem.of action to control or eradicate a reportable disease when it..jtJ.f.".*sWith this in mind, the Fish and Wildlife Service established a policy forfish disease control and developed a plan to implement it. Basically, theplan is designed to classify, suppress, and eradicate certain serious diseasesof salmonids present at facilities within the National Fish Hatchery System.As far as nonsalmonids are concerned, sampling for serious diseases is leftto the discretion of Service biologists. Within the limits of existing technicalcapabilities and knowledge, the plan provides for determining specificpathogen ranges within the National Fish Hatchery System, restrictingdissemination of fish pathogens, and eradicating certain disease agents fromfederal fish hatcheries. The policy also provides a stimulus for research andtraining which should result in significant advances in technical knowledgeconcerning epizootiology, prevention, control, and diagnosis of various fish