Health and Biosecurity

The Health and Biosecurity Programme assists members to reduce the risks of aquatic animal disease impacting the livelihoods of farmers, national economies, trade, environment and human health by:

  • Improving regional cooperation in aquatic animal health and welfare.
  • Developing and implementing national strategies on aquatic animal health.
  • Improving surveillance, reporting and response to disease emergencies.
  • Promoting harmonisation of diagnostic procedures and risk assessment.
  • Widespread promotion of better aquatic animal health management practices at the farm level.

Key activities

Key activities of the programme include:

  • Convening the annual meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, coordinating the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report and bringing regional issues to the attention of global standard setting bodies such as the Office International des Epizooties.
  • Establishment and expansion of a three-tier shared resource in aquatic animal health.
  • Development of farm-level health management tools for key aquaculture commodities.
  • Supporting regional disease surveillance and reporting.
  • Strengthening aquatic animal health and biosecurity in the region.
  • Facilitating harmonisation in disease diagnostic techniques.
  • Developing resource material in support of diagnosis and surveillance.

Contacts

Creative Commons Attribution.

Related

Subject tags

A collection of subject tags relating to technical matters.

In this collection

NACA Newsletter, Volume XXXI, No. 1-2, January-June 2016

In this issue:

NACA conducts workshops on white spot disease and shrimp health management in I.R. Iran. Don’t forget to register for the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum! NACA pays tribute to Professor H.P.C. Shetty – Patron of the Pillay Aquaculture Foundation. EHP: Shrimp industry survey. 3rd International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture, 24-25 August, Negombo, Sri Lanka. Special Session on the Status of Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Second International Technical Workshop on Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND). Guidebook on Farmer-to-Farmer Extension Approach for Small-Scale Freshwater Aquaculture. Sustainable intensification of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei: Disease card

This disease card describes the diagnosis and range of a microsporidian shrimp pathogen, Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), first discovered in Penaeus monodon in Thailand in 2004. It infects only the tubule epithelial cells of the hepatopancreatic tissue of shrimp. EHP was later found to also infect P. vannamei cultivated in Thailand and is suspected to have been reported from P. japonicus in Australia in 2001. EHP has been reported from Vietnam and is associated with white faeces syndrome.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, October-December 2015

This report, the 70th in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of nine states in the Asia-Pacific region. The foreword discusses tilapia lake virus, a new viral disease of farmed tilapia.

A regional proficiency testing program for aquatic animal disease diagnostic laboratories in Asia-Pacific

A Regional Proficiency Testing Program for Aquatic Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories in Asia-Pacific was developed to strengthen diagnostic capability across Asia. This capability was identified as a requirement to facilitate the sanitary safety of trade in aquatic animal products. The program provided 41 laboratories across the Asia-Pacific with the opportunity to assess their diagnostic performance for 10 regionally significant aquatic animal pathogens, and to adapt or modify practices where necessary to improve.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, July-September 2015

This report, the 69th in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of nine states in the Asia-Pacific region. The foreword discusses the outcomes of the 14th meeting on the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health.

Report of the thirteenth meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, 22-23 November 2014

The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional health issues including emerging disease threats. This report includes a review of regional disease status circa 2014, global and regional disease reporting arrangements, global issues and standards, progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals, identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources and regional and international cooperation.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, April-June 2015

This report, the 68th in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of thirteen states in the Asia-Pacific region. The foreword discusses harmonisation in ASEAN aquaculture certification.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, April-June 2015

In this issue:

Anti-microbials and alternatives. Successful demonstration of new model for rural development in Myanmar. Optimisation of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) production in ponds based on improved farm management practices in Rwanda. EUS infection in freshwater fishes of Andhra Pradesh. Development of pond-reared broodstock / spawners of green mud crab Scylla serrata. ASEAN Gender Network launched. A two-tube nested PCR detection method for AHPND bacteria. 9th Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course.

NACA Newsletter, Volume XXX, No. 2, April-June 2015

In this issue:

12th Technical Advisory Committee held in Cha-am, Thailand. Audio recordings: WAS special session on regional cooperation for improved biosecurity. AFSPAN Final Technical Report now available! Pillay Aquaculture Foundation Awards for Scientists in Least Developed Countries. Gender seminar conducted and ASEAN Gender Network launched. A two-tube, nested PCR detection method for AHPND bacteria. 9th Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course. Developing an environmental monitoring system to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture in the Lower Mekong Basin. Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the Status of Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Biosecurity and regional cooperation

Brett Herbert introduces the special session with a presentation on biosecurity and regional cooperation.