The Fish Vet's Blog

Following on from my post last week about the planned Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) release (https://thefishvet.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/exotic-carp-killer-virus-planned-to-be-released-in-as-little-as-5-years/), the lead scientist on the animal experimentation stated that the disease course would be variable and is temperature dependent. It will take one week for the fish to die at a water temperature of 26^oC and up to 3 weeks to kill at 17^oC.

This being said, there is an animal welfare aspect that has not been addressed. Practices that were acceptable in the 1950’s in terms of inflicting pain and suffering on “pests” should not be tolerated today.

The ends do not justify the means.

This is an interesting concept, but it wouldn’t work in Australia because we have introduced killer rabbit diseases (myxomatosis
and calicivirus) as a measure to control feral rabbits. This has also been the one of the factors in the demise of the rabbit industry in Australia. It’s a lesson we need to remember whenever a biological control agent is ever to be considered for any purpose. It is whether we plan to ever use the species for any other purposes (pets, meat, leather/fur).

A good case in point is the common carp. The exotic killer koi herpesvirus could be released into the wild in Australia in as little as 5 years if some scientists and fisherfolk lobbyists could have their own way. Could Australia find a use for this fish? Live export to improve genetic stocks in their native Europe? Sustainable food fish aquaculture for local consumption or export? Fertiliser? Coarse fishing?

Australia could remain the only place in the world with a carp population that is free from so many of the killer diseases. In terms of food security, should we be protecting the humble carp rather than release the killer virus amongst them?

http://www.thefishvet.com.au

Journal of Applied Aquaculture
Volume 24, Number 2 (April 2012)
	Rearing Rabbits Over Earthen Fish Ponds in Rwanda: Effects on Water and Sediment Quality, Growth, and Production of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus
	Authors:	Simon Rukera Tabaro 1, Onisimo Mutanga 1, Denis Rugege 1, Jean-Claude Micha 2
	Author Affiliations:	1: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Faculty of Sciences and Agriculture, School of Environmental Sciences, Geography, Centre for Environment, Agriculture & Development 2: University of Namur, Department of Biology, Research Unit in Environmental Biology
	Source:	Journal of Applied Aquaculture, Volume 24, Number 2 (April 2012)
	Page Numbers:	170 – 181
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: EBSCOhost EJS
	Abstract:	Nine earthen ponds of 400 m2each, were stocked with 800 mixed sex Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticusfingerlings (14 g mean weight stocked at 2 fish/m-2) and fertilized with rabbit droppings from rabbits reared over fish ponds and stocked at three different densities: T1 = one, T2 = two, and T4 = four rabbits per 100 m2of pond. After 152 days, results from this integrated rabbit/fish system showed: 1) increasing nutrient content of all ponds in the three treatments except for nitrates, which decreased with time and, 2) good water quality in terms of pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Fish mean weight at harvest and fish yield were higher in ponds fertilized by the highest rabbit stocking rate: 42.32 g and 6.35 ± 1.0 kg/are, respectively (1 are = 100 m2).
	Citation:	Simon Rukera Tabaro, Onisimo Mutanga, Denis Rugege, Jean-Claude Micha . Rearing Rabbits Over Earthen Fish Ponds in Rwanda: Effects on Water and Sediment Quality, Growth, and Production of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Journal of Applied Aquaculture, Volume 24, Number 2 (April 2012), pp. 170-181, ;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=48CF8D9813011C307401

http://www.thefishvet.com.au

Dear Fishy folks,

I hope you have all been enjoying reading my posts so far and despite my “corny” Monday-itis “dad” jokes. Now I’d like to include a new recurring subject and I will need your help with populating it.

The theme for the new subject is “fish trivia”. Anything that’s interesting about fishes, starting with the popular aquarium fishes. It could be where they come from, how they live, how they catch their prey, why they have particular patterning, etc.

An example to illustrate what I’m after is this :

Did you know that when it comes to swordtail swords, size DOES matter? Female swordtail fish shows preference to the male with the longest tail.

You can email your Fish Trivia to:
thefishvet@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for contributing and for your continued following.

Following on from a previous post (https://thefishvet.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/imminent-closure-of-the-aquatic-lab-in-townsville-what-are-the-ramifications/), there is an update about the impending veterinary laboratory closure.

THE State Government has shelved plans for an $18 million biosecurity lab in Townsville, which was to replace the old lab in the suburb of Oonoonba, which is closing. The Opposition and the Australian Party have criticised the move and said that it left North and Far North Queensland exposed to biosecurity risks. It could also mean the loss of up to 20 jobs, which follows recent media reports that there would be 550 jobs cut in the Agriculture department. Opposition agriculture spokesman Tim Mulherin said construction had already begun at the facility. Minister for Agriculture John McVeigh said the facility was unfunded, and he made the decision based on the need to rein-in spending. He said that testing for major outbreaks was done at Coopers Plains, Brisbane, while animal health tests were done in Geelong, and that the government was committed to biosecurity .

The decision has shocked aquaculture industries in Far North Queensland, which say it has serious and significant ramifications for the detection of both aquatic and terrestrial animal diseases. The Oonoonba facility has done very important work on the detection of diseases in marine species farmed in the tropics, including prawns and barramundi. While QFF fully supports the need for the State Budget to be restored to order, the impact of the closure of this lab will need to be managed to ensure critical services can be delivered effectively and economically for producers. These matters as yet have not been discussed with industry groups. There seems little doubt that the service is important but there remains widespread concern about whether the other options for the provision of that service have the capacity to handle the increased workload or that testing can be done in a timely and cost-effective way.

The Minister for Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, John Mc Veigh.

Following on from my post last week about the planned Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) release (https://thefishvet.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/exotic-carp-killer-virus-planned-to-be-released-in-as-little-as-5-years/),

has anyone given a thought about whether this will be any more effective than goldfish herpesvirus that “accidentally” introduced into Australia some 10 years ago? Today, it is clear that it has had no effect on feral goldfish.

Dr Rodman Getchell from Cornell University presented the findings of the 2005 KHV incident at Chautauqua Lake, at this year’s Aquavet II workshop. Imagine your once pristine lake, becoming littered by tonnes of smelly, decaying fish. There was an initial high level of kill and there was a massive clean-up effort undertaken by the local association and by the New York State Dept of Environment and Conservation. Many fish were trucked to a huge trench that had been dug at the local landfill. There was no way of containing the virus and it subsequently spread to other water bodies and to residents’ home ponds, killing these fish as it swept across the state. Today, the wild carp population has rebounded.

Following on from my post last week about the planned Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) release (https://thefishvet.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/exotic-carp-killer-virus-planned-to-be-released-in-as-little-as-5-years/)….

I put the same post up on NOVICE today.

One comment received, I’d like to share with you:

I just had an enquiry about whether it’s normal behaviour for their Siamese fighter to lie on their side when the water temperature drops over night.So, I pointed them to one of my previous blog posts – https://thefishvet.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/fighting-fish-over-wintering/
Another differential diagnosis is mycobacteriosis which is common and is a zoonotic disease, so watch out!

Those who attended Aquavet may remember this joke shared by Dr “Skip” Jack, the channel catfish guru.

There was a man in town who always liked to tell tall tales. He would always boast about the size of the biggest fish he had ever caught. And each time he told the same story, his arms would spread further and further apart, signing to show how big the fish was. One day, one of his friends had the idea to tie the man’s hands together the next time he told the story so that it could only spread a set distance apart. So, on this day the man told the same story about the largest fish he had caught. And with his hands spread as far apart as possible, he told the listeners,”and the fish’s eyes were THIS Big!”

http://www.thefishvet.com.au

I agree 100%.

Check out my previous post here.

Aquaculture
Volume 353, Number 11 (June 2012)
	The importance of selective breeding in aquaculture to meet future demands for animal protein: A review
	Authors:	Trygve Gjedrem, Nick Robinson, Morten Rye
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquaculture, Volume 353, Number 11 (June 2012)
	Page Numbers:	117 – 129
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production industry, and the vast majority of aquaculture products are derived from Asia. The quantity of aquaculture products directly consumed is now greater than that resulting from conventional fisheries. The nutritional value of aquatic products compares favourably with meat from farm animals because they are rich in micronutrients and contain high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Compared with farm animals, fish are more efficient converters of energy and protein. If the aquaculture sector continues to expand at its current rate, production will reach 132million tonnes of fish and shellfish and 43million tonnes of seaweed in 2020. Future potential for marine aquaculture production can be estimated based on the length of coastline, and for freshwater aquaculture from available land area in different countries. The average marine production in 2005 was 103tonnes per km coastline, varying from 0 to 1721 (China). Freshwater aquaculture production in 2005 averaged 0.17tonnes/ha, varying from 0 to close to 6tonnes per ha (Bangladesh), also indicating potential to dramatically increase freshwater aquaculture output. Simple estimations indicate potential for a 20-fold increase in world aquaculture production. Limits imposed by the availability of feed resources would be lessened by growing more herbivorous species and by using more of genetically improved stocks.
	Citation:	Trygve Gjedrem, Nick Robinson, Morten Rye . The importance of selective breeding in aquaculture to meet future demands for animal protein: A review. Aquaculture, Volume 353, Number 11 (June 2012), pp. 117-129, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=426F83A5B4249A630D9E&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=426F83A5B4249A630D9E

I’ve just come out of the Communications Committee of the WAVMA. We are eager to promote the numerous member benefits that give you value for money. Some think that it’s USA-centric, but the value you get occurs right where you are. For me, it’s all the way here, Down Under (Australia)!

So here’s my personal testimonial:

“I’m a member of a large number of different organisations and of these, there are only two organisations that I get value for money. One is the Australian Society for Veterinary Pathologists and the other is the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association. Both of these organisations provide for very specialised areas of veterinary medicine where every other organisation isn’t able to cater for. And what’s more is that these two organisations have the lowest fees. I really value the fact that I am able to tap into world experts for second opinions on clinical and pathological cases I get. And it’s not just fish, but also turtles, reptiles and more! You can get connected to other aquatic veterinarians all over the world. You can be a part of a WORLD organisation that is advancing the field of aquatic veterinary medicine. YOU can really make a difference! The Aquatic Veterinary Newsletters are an invaluable source of information. I also get access to discounted books (did you know that several WAVMA members have published text books [including me ;P]?). And today I learned that we can get 20% discount off Palisade software!”

So what are you waiting for?

JOIN WAVMA now by clicking on this link.