Q: What did one clown fish say to the other?
A: “Keep your friends close.
Keep your anemones closer.”
Are catfish venemous?
Pictured below are the bony structures of the Synodontis catfish. Checkout the long bony first ray of the dorsal fin. It’s like a lance and can penetrate any soft tissue readily.
Checkout the serrated first ray of the pectoral fins! Looks like a spear that only goes in one direction!
All these bony structures can be locked in place and provides the gentle fish a defence mechanism. This is the reason many predators leave them well alone; and this is why we must take care when handling them.
Interested in aquatic veterinary externships in North America?
Check out the thorough list my colleague out together on her blog:
http://avsnca.com/aquatic-veterinary-medicine-resources/
Fish Joke for Monday-itis: airlines.
Q: Which airline company do fish use to fly?
A: Fin-Air.
This is the plane I took to come to Prague.
Can humans eat sunlight?
What are the ramifications of having an economically significant aquatic animal disease?
What I gathered from this article email alert is the wide ranging impacts a disease could have on the nation.
For example, this one shrimp disease does not only call on bans on exports of all shrimp products, but also prohibited to import aquaculture inputs (artemia cysts and biomass, polychaetes, prebiotics and probiotics) and algae from these countries, and from those nations where this syndrome is present.
This is why each country remains vigilant to prevent diseases entering the country; and if it does, to detect and eradicate the disease at the earliest. This is the gist of biosecurity.
From: “Dr. David Scarfe”
Date: 8 September 2013 21:16:07 AWST
Subject: AquaVetMed e-News: Ecuador calls for OIE shrimp EMS/AHPNS listing
September 8, 2013
Shrimp disease requested to be included in OIE official list
Ecuador – The National Fisheries Institute (INP) of Ecuador requested the acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHPNS) to be included in the official list of diseases, infections and infestations of the World Organization for Animal Health(OIE). INP representatives claim that this inclusion can help to intensify an animal disease surveillance agent.
Institute delegates made this request during the 6th Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Aquatic Animal Health, which was held on 22 and 23 August 2013, in Mérida, Mexico. After learning about the crisis faced by the Asian shrimp industry due to AHPNS, the Ecuadorian government took preventive measures in the country. Therefore, since 25 July it decided to ban imports of various live shrimp species at any stage of their life cycle, their products and by-products in all presentations from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia for a year.
According to the Ministerial Agreement No. 043, it is also prohibited to import aquaculture inputs (artemia cysts and biomass, polychaetes, prebiotics and probiotics) and algae from these countries, and from those nations where this syndrome is present. The INP will initiate a training campaign for the shrimp sector in order to take the necessary precautions.
The AHPNS emerged in 2010 in shrimp farms located in southern China and in Hainan Island, and in early 2011 it was seen in Vietnam and Malaysia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries (Magap) reported. The first signs of the disease may occur between 7 and 10 days after the pool stockings, and the mortality can reach 100 per cent in the first 30 days of culture.
See the source (http://www.agricultura.gob.ec/author/agricultura/page/2/) for more information.
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AquaVetMed e-News provides information to veterinary and veterinary-allied subscribers concerning aquatic animal medicine, health, welfare, public health and seafood safety, obtained from a variety of sources (largely AquaVetMed subscribers). While provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s, Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee and are for public distribution, they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the AVMA or the veterinary profession. See the AVMA Terms of Use (http://tinyurl.com/29h2rf) for further information.
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________________________________
The Fish Vet is out of the office for a week.
Dr Loh, The Fish Vet, in Perth, Western Australia is unavailable until 21st September 2013. I am travelling to Prague, Czech Republic to deliver lectures on fish medicine at the World Veterinary Congress as an invited speaker.
Please check the Aquatic Veterinary Directory at www.AquaVetMed.info for a list of veterinarians in your area.
If you require a response from me please resend your e-mail on or after I return if I haven’t already responded. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
In the meantime, please check my blog for information on your topic at www.thefishvet.com
You can also follow me on: Facebook “Fin Page” – YouTube – Blog – Linkedin – Twitter
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
—
Yours sincerely,
Dr Richmond Loh DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology), CertAqV.
Veterinarian | Adjunct Lecturer Murdoch University | President-elect WAVMA |
Secretary Aquatic Animal Health Chapter – ANZCVS.
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA. Mobile Veterinary Medical & Diagnostic Services for fish and other aquatic creatures.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)421 822 383
When was the last time you checked your pH and KH?
Over the winter months, you might be right about not needing to conduct water changes in your outdoor pond as often since rain entering the pond naturally dilutes any wastes.
But did you know that a lot of biological processes can make the water rather acidic. At this time of the year, it’s important that you at least check your pH (measure of the acidity) and KH (measure of the buffering capacity of the water against pH fluctuations).
Check out what can happen to your fish in the latest uploaded pictures on my Facebook Fanpage album titled “Under the Microscope.”
Fishermen, “drawing the line”.
The plight of fishermen was brought to my attention recently. The government is introducing more and more marine parks on top of the restrictions that are currently available to ensure a sustainable future for fishing. This puts more pressure on fishermen as they face more restriction in where they can fish and also makes the job of fishing even more hazardous as they have to venture to other areas. These are some of the arguments the fishermen have put forward.
Watch and listen more to their views at this link –
http://www.youtube.com/user/drawingthelinefilm/videos
The main objective with ‘Drawing The Line’ is to provide an avenue in which the average seafood consumer can relate and connect with the seafood and professional fishing industry. Through stories of hope, hardship, love and loss we aim to present the fishing industry in a very entertaining and eye opening way, in a light that will compel the Australian public to care about where their seafood comes from and what is happening to the industry that supplies it.
The issues are complex. My thinking is that there should be reserves for fish nurseries and some for the different habitat types. What should be where will need much research. I think the future of fish as a food source would lie in culturing them; to emulate what’s been happening with terrestrial farmed animals. This to me, is the surest way of having a sustainable future.
PhD scholarship to study disease in Australian pearl oysters
PhD scholarship to study disease in Australian pearl oysters.
For more information please contact Professor David Raftos at Macquarie University (david.raftos).
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Yours sincerely,
Dr Richmond Loh
DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics& Pathobiology), Cert AqV.
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia.
Veterinary Medicine for fish.
W: http://www.thefishvet.com.au
E: thefishvet
P: +61 (0)421 822 383