The Fish Vet's Blog

Did you know…
Barring a few exceptions, octopuses have eight arms and no tentacles, while squid and cuttlefish have eight arms (or two “legs” and six “arms”) and two tentacles. The limbs of nautiluses, which number around 90 and lack suckers altogether, are called tentacles.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalopod_limb

Check out the many meanings FISH can be in the urban dictionary!

Which one do you like best?

1. A drag queen term for a drag queen who looks like a real woman.

2. A new inmate at prison.

3. A new measurement system based on the ca. lenght of a fish (20cm).

4. An animal that lives in the water and swims.

5. Means “F4ck It Shit Happens!“

Source:

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.urbandictionary.com/define.php%3fterm=fish&amp=true

Have a FINtastic week! R <+>{

First, “Redd” our oscar cichlid fish succumbs to hole-in-the-head disease (HITH, usually ascribed to Hexamita flagellated protozoa). Just as he was on the road to recovery, his house caught on fire! How did he survive through these ordeals?

Watch Redd’s story here – https://tinyurl.com/fire-oscar

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Watch ALL our videos – http://tinyurl.com/thefishdoctor

True story…

While studying at university, I used to work at the local public aquarium (Underwater World) as a waiter. I had a boss by the name of Mr J. Sharkey!

One of my best friend’s name is Dr B. Gill!

And when I first started working as a veterinarian, I had a colleague by the name Dr Barry Munday!

And I was going to name my first son, Oscar!

My second son got the name Archer (fish)!

Have a FINtastic week! R <+>{

HOW IT STARTED…
COTTON growers have backed the appointment of the so called ‘Carpinator’ to improve the environment of river systems in the Murray Darling Basin...

“The potential environmental outcomes of the National Carp Control Plan should be recognised by governments within the Murray Darling Basin Plan, and so we call for a significant reduction in the amount of water recovery required to achieve environmental outcomes,” Mr Murray said.

“In the past a credit to the Sustainable Diversion Limit of 200GL has been proposed, and we believe this would be an appropriate outcome once the Carp Control Plan is in effect.”

http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/4254840/matt-barwick-appointed-as-carpinator

HOW IT’S ENDED UP…
The CARPINATOR: Matt Barwick has stepped down from the role as national coordinator for the National Carp Control Plan.

http://www.farmonline.com.au/story/5774633/carpinator-quits/

Herd immunity will allow invasive fish to repopulate waterways

Common carp are an introduced and invasive species in Australia’s waterways. Photo Pixabay
Associate Professor Joy Becker is a member of the National Carp Control Program Scientific Advisory Group. Her research suggests the CyHV3 virus will not overcome the carp’s ‘remarkable fecundity’.

A federal government plan to slash carp fish numbers in Australia’s waterways by infecting the pest-species with a herpes virus will be a one-hit wonder, University of Sydney experts are warning.

The warning published last week in Australian Zoologist comes as the Fisheries Research and Development Corporationinvestigates whether to go ahead with a planned release of the virus in an effort to help rebuild native fish numbers in Australia’s waterways.

“The release of this herpes virus in our waterways will undoubtedly cause a single epidemic of herpesvirus disease resulting in massive deaths among carp,” said the study’s lead author Associate Professor Joy Becker of the University’s School of Life Environmental Sciences.

“However, there’s little evidence to suggest that we will see repeated outbreaks of a magnitude to counter the reproductive potential of the surviving carp.”

This conclusion is based on a review of evidence from around the world examining the impact of the koi herpesvirus (CyHV3) on common carp in natural and farmed environments.

Associate Professor Joy Becker at the University’s Camden campus.
Photo by Rachael Di-masi

Associate Professor Becker and her author-colleagues, Professor Michael Ward and Dr Paul Hick from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, say that the likelihood of carp population being controlled by releasing the virus is significantly reduced due to herd immunity and the carp’s “remarkable fecundity”.

They warn this means the government’s $15m culling program, which was announced in parliament by former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, could be a one-hit wonder.

The research team said their great concern is how quickly the CyHV3 virus reaches balance in host populations, which occurred within two years in a study in Japan.

Dr Becker, who is a member of the government’s National Carp Control Program Scientific Advisory Group, has communicated her advice to the NCCP and to colleagues at scientific meetings.

Source: Pet Industry News Newsletter 19th November 2018.

BUT, “Barnaby Joyce has recently demanded the herpes virus be immediately released contrary to the advice of the experts.”

Source – http://www.joelfitzgibbon.com/carp_eradication_plan_science_not_ego?fbclid=IwAR1ZomZ4uKPo6eOLbZgA4B57td9DxzRAVWcq69onDDOswMIl8fojdZPSjS4

What fish exclaim when shocked.

“WHAT THE FLIP!”

Have a FINtastic week! R <+>{

[Each year the Board Members of WAVMA ask themselves this question…]

Are there any individual members that truly stand out, that have made a huge contribution, not only to the organisation itself, but have also made a contribution to aquatic veterinary medicine, and encouraging other people to get involved, to help them, mentor them and do it.

This might come as a little surprise because we don’t do this every year. When the board sits down and looks at this, they look for these people and they give them recognition as a Fellow of the WAVMA. This is rather a distinguished recognition, and I would like to as Dr Richmond Loh, to come up and accept the plaque…

Watch the event at this link.

The honor of Fellowship is bestowed to outstanding WAVMA members who have contributed significantly to the development of aquatic veterinary medicine practice, art and science. It is to honor those members who have distinguished themselves amongst their peers.

It requires three WAVMA members to nominate a member who has contributed significantly to the development of aquatic veterinary medicine. The nomination will subsequently be scrutinised by a committee of peers with the awarding of a fellowship recognising this contribution. The program was developed as there are few if any mechanisms to internationally recognise aquatic veterinarians who have contributed significantly to the field, except through academia. As such there are several categories of contribution which can lead to nomination.

WAVMA Fellows are full members of WAVMA who have been recognized by their peers and the WAVMA Executive Board as contributing to the development of aquatic veterinary medicine through clinical endeavor, scientific research, teaching or other significant ways. The WAVMA Fellow designation is a prestigious honorarium that recognizes the commitment to and achievement in the field of aquatic veterinary medicine.

Dr Loh will join the other ten in list of WAVMA fellows – https://www.wavma.org/WAVMA-Fellows

Richmond Loh (2018)

Nick Saint-Erne (2017)

Mohamed Faisal (2016)

Grace Karreman (2013)

Peter L. Merrill (2012)

Marian McLoughin (2013)

Dusan Palic (2013)

Ronald J. Roberts (2012)

A. David Scarfe (2012)

Julius M. Tepper (2012)

Christopher I. Walster (2012)

With thanks to IL.

Have a FINtastic week! R <+>{

The World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association’s Conference, held at St Kitts, has just come to an end.

I learnt a whole heap of new things from collegues from around the globe. I will be sharing these with my team Australia-wide, to consider different and perhaps improved ways of doing things in the plight to advance aquatic veterinary care.

I got to witness the enthusiasm of the veterinary students on aquatic animal health, at the largest WAVMA Student Chapter (kick-started by Dr Jenice Bell, now having had a few other successors including the two Courtney’s). They have all the backing of excellent student-centred lecturers (Drs Mark Freeman, Don Bergfeld and Michelle Dennis) plus the benefit of great facilities and tropical island at Ross University. With a strong focus on aquatics, it is becoming the go-to university for veterinarians who are wanting to pursue a career in this field.

To see what we got up to, check out the pictures at http://tinyurl.com/wavma-conf-stkitts