Overview
Training
NARRATOR: Training institutions play a key role in keeping the Australian aquaculture industry disease free. While Australian focussed initiatives are constantly being examined, we can draw valuable lessons from overseas experiences.
BARBARA NOWAK, University of Tasmania School of Aquaculture: We have a very close relationship with industry and it mostly started with the salmon industry. As soon as the salmon industry started in Tasmania, it was always supported by the School of Aquaculture and we always had very good links. This is reflected partly by employment—our graduates go and gain employment in the salmon industry—but also by the research we provide. Our results are related to the industry at meetings which we have on a regular basis, and we also have workshops. We provide everything, the reports and lots of presentations. In some cases we even go to the farms and give presentations to individual farms and very often the results are used by the farms directly in their changes to husbandry procedures. For example, one of my colleagues, Dr Mark Powell, showed that the water that is used for bathing of salmon with a gill disease has to be very soft and the harder the water, the less effective the bathing is. This is something which the industry now understands and they understand why the different sides have different bathing effectiveness and they can do something about it.
EVA-MARIA BERNOTH, Aquatic Animal Health, Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer: It’s very important for people to get some sort of training in disease recognition. You need to know the normal on your farm, but you then need to know what is abnormal and in order to really be able to do that, some level of training is required. Now, at the farm level, all that might be required is to spot the signs of disease in fish at an early stage. These signs can be very generic but you need to know them, you need to be able to recognise them. This doesn’t mean you need to have a microscope or a laboratory on your farm, just note the signs, the behavioural abnormalities of animals. But then when it comes to the next stage, when a farmer wants to submit samples to a laboratory, in that laboratory you need trained and skilled staff to deal with those samples. Because we’ve got an industry that is developing fairly rapidly and we really have to ensure that there’s a sufficient number of adequately trained and skilled staff around to help those industries develop and help minimise the impact of disease.
NARRATOR:Fortunately, Australia has a long-history in disease detection and management for livestock. Many of the technologies developed to deal with disease problems on the land are now being applied to aquaculture. The aim is to rapidly identify any new disease problem and have the tools and strategies ready to combat the disease.
It’s vital for Australia to maintain its disease free status. Initiatives ranging from border controls and import certification through to enhanced veterinary education and improved capacity to manage incursions of exotic diseases are being put in place throughout the country at both state and territory and national levels.
This integrated and planned approach on aquatic animal health builds on the efforts of both industry and government to date and ensures profitable and sustainable development of Australia's fisheries and aquaculture industries.
However, there is much work to do and the continued involvement and training of all parties across all interest groups is essential.
END