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

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, July-September 2013

In this issue:

A second trip to Hubei Province, central China. Sea cage growout of cobia Rachycentron canadum in the Gulf of Mannar. Culture of small indigenous fish species in polyculture with Indian major carps and high value crops along pond dykes. Study on sperm chilled storage of common carp Cyprinus carpio in Vietnam. Culture-based fisheries exchanges between Lao PDR and Cambodia. Culprit behind massive shrimp die-offs in Asia unmasked.

NACA Newsletter, Volume XXVIII, No. 3, July-September 2013

In this issue:

Culture-based fisheries exchanges between Lao PDR and Cambodia. Culprit behind massive shrimp die-offs in Asia unmasked. Presentations from the final technical consultation on EMS/AHPNS of shrimp available for download. Aquaculture certification workshop held in Viet Nam. Aquaculture in a genetic plunge towards extinction? NACA implements World Bank training program on Good Aquaculture Practices. Study tour on aquaculture and wetland management for delegation from Assam, India. Koh Yao Noi Tree Bank and mangrove replanting continues. Consistent fish names key to consumer confidence. We are hiring! Request for contributions: Global Advances in Ecology and Management of Golden Apple Snails (2nd edition).

Artisinal tropical aquaculture in a genetic plunge towards extinction

Artisanal shrimp aquaculture is in a disease-induced crisis of lost production. The immediate cause is biological: rising levels of inbreeding and a strong, positive relationship between inbreeding and disease. The root cause is social: a nexus of human behavior in which breeders protect their intellectual property by generating inbreeding, local hatcheries sell copied, inbred shrimp, and farmers suffer the consequences.

Cause of "shrimp early mortality syndrome" (acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome) identified

In a major breakthrough, researchers at the University of Arizona have identified the causative agent behind "shrimp early mortality syndrome" or EMS, more accurately known as acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome. The causative agent is a strain of a bacteria commonly found in brackish water, Vibrio parahemolyticus, with possible involvement of a phage. Very encouraging news. Congratulations to Dr Lightner's team and all that have assisted with the search for the culprit - Ed.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, April-June 2013

This report, the 60th in the series, contains information about the aquatic animal health status of fifteen states in the Asia-Pacific region. The foreword discusses response to aquatic animal disease emergencies.