The Fish Vet's Blog

Oh the ‘Hu-manatee’!

Recently, I was asked whether there is a need in Australia to have the FASTest KOI HV ( KOI HERPESVIRUS RAPID TEST ).

My response:

KHV is currently exotic to Australia but there are 2 potential ways it’ll inevitably establish in Australia.

1. The Australian Animal Health Laboratories (AAHL in Geelong) is studying the virus for use as a biocontrol of carp.
2. Enthusiasts illegally importing fish.

There is no need for it now, but in the future, it’ll be useful to have.

Additionally, because KHV is an OIE listed disease and Notifiable in Australia, a positive result (regardless of whether it is a true positive or a false positive) there would be potential significant political and economic implications. Thus, I suspect that the first definitive diagnosis needs to be conducted by the government laboratories at least, if not, by the AAHL.

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Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh

KH stands for carbonate hardness and it’s a measure of the buffering capacity of your water against fluctuations in pH which could be stressful for fish. A KH of 3-4 degrees (or 50-70mg/L) is recommended as a minimum. A lower value means you need to add buffers.

Another great article illustrating the great potential for chemical-free ways of controlling fish pathogens.

Aquaculture
Volume 407, Number 13 (August 2013)
	Effects of temperature, diet, and bivalve size on the ingestion of sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) larvae by various filter-feeding shellfish
	Authors:	Janis L. Webb, Julie Vandenbor, Bradley Pirie, Shawn M.C. Robinson, Stephen F. Cross, Simon R.M. Jones, Christopher M. Pearce
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquaculture, Volume 407, Number 13 (August 2013)
	Page Numbers:	9 – 17
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	Filter-feeding shellfish could act as biological agents in the control of parasitic sea lice (Caligidae) at salmon farms as a benefit of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. Determining the extent to which various bivalve species ingest sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) larvae under controlled laboratory conditions was an important first step towards understanding the potential for shellfish to reduce the number of these copepod larvae in the water column at net pens. A series of laboratory experiments examined the effects of temperature (~5, 10, and 15°C), diet (larvae alone or with phytoplankton), and bivalve size (small, medium, and large) on the amount of L. salmonislarvae ingested by basket cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii), Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), mussels (Mytilusspp.), and Pacific scallops (unconfirmed hybrid: Mizuhopecten yessoensisx Patinopecten caurinus). Feeding rate was assessed by placing bivalves individually in 2-l containers holding approximately 450 larvae in 750ml of filtered seawater. Results of the temperature/diet experiments indicated that all four species of bivalves ingested sea lice larvae, regardless of phytoplankton presence or absence, and that temperature had no significant effect on the proportion of larvae ingested. All three sizes of oysters and scallops ingested sea lice larvae, with large shellfish consuming a significantly greater proportion of the larvae than small individuals. Future research, examining the role of bivalves in the control of sea lice, should be continued at a commercial scale at a salmon farm.
	Citation:	Janis L. Webb, Julie Vandenbor, Bradley Pirie, Shawn M.C. Robinson, Stephen F. Cross, Simon R.M. Jones, Christopher M. Pearce . Effects of temperature, diet, and bivalve size on the ingestion of sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) larvae by various filter-feeding shellfish. Aquaculture, Volume 407, Number 13 (August 2013), pp. 9-17, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=42A981D148CF4977D402&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=42A981D148CF4977D402

http://mobile.news.com.au/travel/world/experts-puzzled-after-mysterious-four-metre-long-sea-creature-found-on-spain-beach/story-e6frfqai-1226702473446

—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh
DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics& Pathobiology).
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia.
Veterinary Medicine for fish.
W: http://www.thefishvet.com.au
E: thefishvet
P: +61 (0)421 822 383

I found this report very interesting and quite the opposite of what I thought because the majority of my pet fish clients are freshwater keepers.

From: “Dr. David Scarfe”
Date: 18 August 2013 20:36:02 AWST
Subject: AquaVetMed e-News: Provisions for Fish Pet in Wills

August 18, 2013
Fifteen Percent of Fish Owners Made Financial Provisions for Their Pet in Their Will

Including pets in the will is becoming ever-more popular! In preparation for the future, 15% of fish owners have made financial provisions in their will for their pet.

Financially providing for one’s fish is far more common among saltwater fish owners (36%) than owners of freshwater fish (4%). Twenty-one percent of all fish owners have named a caretaker/guardian for their fish. More saltwater owners have done so (37%) than freshwater fish owners (13%).

Have you made financial provisions in your will for your pet, or named a caretaker/guardian?

To learn more about this subject, go to page 290 in the 2013-2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey (http://americanpetproducts.org/pubs_survey.asp).

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Check out the preview at this link – http://video.news.com.au/2396348568/SHARKNADO-Worst-movie-ever

Follow me on: Facebook “Fin Page” – YouTube  – Blog – Linkedin – Twitter—
Yours sincerely,

Dr Richmond Loh

DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology).
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 383Looking for more books? Check out this site.

 

Last week I had a sleepless night because I wanted to make sure that I’d get up with ample time to present this webinar.

For some reason, I became rather nervous, probably because I may have been talking to other expert fish vets out there. I was afraid that I might miss saying something important, or that I may not have explained things properly.
There were some technical glitches with the internet dropping out, but luckily Drs Scarfe and Jones saved the day by filling in the silence. The one hour webinar presentation blew out to nearly two whole hours! I thought I totally bombed out on that one.

But luckily, I was able to make a new recording of my presentation which I have now uploaded to WAVMA’s Vimeo account.

So please do enquire about accessing the video by contacting the WAVMA admin.

I’d also be interested to hear your comments.

thefishvet@gmail.com

This would be a useful paper to refer to when assessing the risks of translocating aquatic animals.

Aquaculture
Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012)
	A review of the risk posed to Scottish mollusc aquaculture from Bonamia, Marteilia and oyster herpesvirus
	Authors:	Alexander G. Murray, Mar Marcos-Lopez, Bertrand Collet, Lorna A. Munro
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquaculture, Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012)
	Page Numbers:	7 – 13
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	Shellfish aquaculture forms a small but expanding section of Scotland’s seafood production. This production benefits from a good health status with the absence of notifiable diseases, except for localised cases of Bonamia ostreae. In this paper we review factors that could lead to the introduction and/or spread of key diseases in order that associated risk can be minimised. We selected B. ostreae and Bonamia exitiosa, Marteilia refringens and oyster herpesvirus as key pathogens; all of which have been found in and are notifiable within the United Kingdom. Vulnerabilities of molluscs farmed in Scotland to these pathogens are reviewed, as are sources of infection in neighbouring areas from which the pathogens might be introduced. We then examine: key pathways of introduction, whether conditions are suitable for the pathogens to persist in Scotland, potential for spread within Scotland and likelihood, and consequence of disease outbreaks. The major pathway for potential introduction is with the import of Pacific oysters from hatcheries. B. ostreae is the pathogen that has the highest probability of causing disease, however B. ostreae is restricted to native oysters whose production in Scotland is very small. Oyster herpesvirus could cause far larger economic consequences due to the size of the Pacific oyster industry but is less likely to invade. Therefore risks for B. ostreae and oyster herpesvirus are similar. Risks could change if imports are sourced from higher risk areas or pathogens spread in areas where currently used hatcheries are located. Water temperature in Scotland is marginal for oyster herpesvirus and M. refringens so continuation of warming trends could increase risks from these pathogens.
	Citation:	Alexander G. Murray, Mar Marcos-Lopez, Bertrand Collet, Lorna A. Munro . A review of the risk posed to Scottish mollusc aquaculture from Bonamia, Marteilia and oyster herpesvirus. Aquaculture, Volume 371, Number 1 (December 2012), pp. 7-13, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=436C999FCC99F0814A36&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=436C999FCC99F0814A36