After My Sophomore Year During the Summer of 2007 I Went to a Month Long Program Called

SCAVMA UEO grant article: AQUAVET 1

Audrey Barnett

2007

After my sophomore year during the summer of 2007 I went to a month long program called AQUAVET 1 in Woods Hole Massachusetts. This program was a four week intensive program focusing on aquatic veterinary medicine. The course included topics such as ichthyology, physiology and anatomy of fish, invertebrates, turtles, birds, elasmobranchs, and marine mammals. We performed necropsies on numerous species and had specific necropsy days dedicated to fish, invertebrates, turtles, birds, mammals, etc. Aquatic animal diseases and pathology, as well as aquatic veterinary diagnostic and treatment techniques were incorporated into the curriculum. We practiced venipuncture at applicable sites and technical skills for obtaining diagnostic samples such as gill clips, fin clips, and mucus smears. Surgical techniques were discussed as well. Relevant ecology, toxicology, immunology, and endocrinology were studied. Environmental and nutritional diseases and appropriate husbandry were also emphasized. Students worked in pairs to run a 13 aquarium experimental model with lobsters to determine relationships between water quality parameters. These studies provided a framework to learn and apply techniques for performing aquaculture and manage aquaculture systems. There was additional focus in the following areas: economic considerations of aquaculture operations, aquatic/aquaculture regulations, veterinary ethics, and aquatic veterinary career opportunities.

Multiple lecture and laboratory sessions were held daily, and field work was performed approximately once per week. The class was made up of twenty-six people from veterinary schools all over the country. As the class size was quite small, the curriculum placed heavy emphasis on student participation. The program brought in many enthusiastic guest lecturers from a variety of domains of aquatic veterinary medicine. These lecturers encompassed government, public, private, and research areas of the profession. Each student presented a thirty-minute evening seminar on a pertinent topic of their choice. There were a number of very interesting field trips including trips to public aquaria, private aquaria, breeding facilities, research aquaria/aquaculture facilities, intertidal zones, and a whale watch.

Students were housed in dormitories and well fed for the entire month. Participation in the program was approximately 12 hours a day, and took up a considerable amount of time and energy. If you’re thinking about going to AQUAVET, go ready to work and learn. If you want to explore the east coast, you should take extra time before or after the program to do so because there will not be any extra time during the four weeks of classes to do this. The experience was valuable and I gained great resources and contacts from participating. I left with a well rounded understanding of options for careers in aquatic veterinary medicine, and how to go about finding jobs. I would definitely recommend going to anyone who has a strong interest in any aspect of aquatic medicine. The program was a collaboration of the veterinary schools at Cornell University, and The University of Pennsylvania. AQUAVET was completed at a private institution called the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Tuition pays for housing and classroom instruction.

Sea turtle blood draw and goosefish specimen

This fish is under anesthesia and about to have a splenectomy. The clear plastic is a surgical drape for fish. The tube going into the mouth is pumping water full of anesthetic through the mouth and over the gills.

Seal skull radiograph Seal CT scan

Sea turtle CT scan Inner ear bone of a whale

Dolphin Necropsy Beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium