It was an intense time writing up everything I had learnt during my trip to the USA to garner new and relevant information related to aquatic animal health. The report is intended as a practical reference source for its readership and it details the teachings and new knowledge I gained during the overseas Fellowhip program. I attended the Seavet course that covered veterinary medical aspects of marine megafauna such as sharks, stingrays, fish, pinnipeds, cetaceans, manatees, turtles and penguins. Along the journey, I also visited other establishments to learn about the roles veterinarian play in the various industries. I visited the Department of Agriculture in Hawaii, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, attended an aquaponics conference, and visited several aquaculture farms, ornamental fish farms and the University of Florida’s Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin, Florida, USA.
The report concludes with a number of practical recommendations for government, industry, associations, and the education and training sector that will help grow and consolidate a vibrant and sustainable sector for the aquatic veterinary industry in Australia.
The report editor had this to say about my final draft:
Richmond, congratulations on the draft of your report. Although you have incorporated considerable technical and specialist data, your report is by far one of the best I have ever received. It was a pleasure working through it, and I enjoyed learning a few new things about ornamental fish and aquaria (it might even restore my interest in my tropical fish tank, which has been dormant for many years). Well done !
Kind regards,
Ken Greenhill
Fellowship Adviser
International Specialised Skills Institute,
Level 1, 189 Faraday Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, AUSTRALIA
Stay tuned to be updated on when the report will be finalised and ready for access!
