Announcement Aquatic Surveillance Workshop

Begin forwarded message:

From: <Joanne.Slater>
Date: 26 September 2011 9:29:00 AWST
To: <Joanne.Slater>
Subject: Announcement Aquatic Surveillance Workshop

Dear Health Highlights Subscribers,

Please see email below from Charles Caraguel regarding the 2011 Aquatic Surveillance Workshop.

Regards,

Jo Slater

FRDC AAHS Co-ordinator

Dear Aquatic Health colleagues,

It is my pleasure to announce the coming 2011 Aquatic Surveillance Workshop.

The development and organisation of this initiative is funded by the FRDC/DAFF Aquatic Animal Health Training Schemes.

A website has been developed to facilitate the information & application process (here).

What?

Five-day workshop on design, evaluation and implementation of surveillance for aquatic animal diseases.

Where?

School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, The university of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, South Australia, 5371 (

)

When?

Monday 12thto Friday 16th of December, 2011

Who?

A panel of 4 experts with international, national and local perspective in aquatic surveillance will instruct the workshop:

Dr. Angus Cameron, a renowned veterinary epidemiologist, specialized in surveillance programs including for aquatic diseases and co-director of AusVet,

Dr. Larry Hammell, a renowned aquatic epidemiologist from Canada, co-author of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) guidelines on aquatic surveillance and co-director of the OIE Collaborative Centre for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment of Aquatic Animal Diseases,

Dr. Barbara Nowak, a renowned aquatic animal health scientist from the School of Aquaculture, University of Tasmania, with a extensive experience in research and design of aquatic surveillance program in Australia with a main focus on Tasmanian aquaculture,

Dr. Marty Deveney, a renowned aquatic animal health expert from SARDI, with great experience in implementation of aquatic surveillance in the South Australia aquaculture industry.

I will also be helping during the workshop but I do not consider myself as an expert.

Scope?

An intended program of the workshop is available for consultation here.

Cost?

The cost of the workshop is covered by the FRDC/DAFF Aquatic Animal Health Training Schemes and will be free of charge for the participants. However, personal needs including travel, accommodation and food are at the participant own charge. Some convenient and low cost accommodation on the Roseworthy Campus will be available.

Application?

The maximum capacity of the workshop is 25 participants. Applications are now open and available through the workshop website and will have to be submitted before October 10th, 2011.

Priority to participate to the workshop will be given to:

• State and Territory Departments of Fisheries/Primary Industries;

• AAHL;

• State aquatic animal health laboratories;

• Universities with significant aquatic animal health interest;

• Consultants and private veterinarians and working in fisheries and aquaculture.

Feel free to contact me if you required any further information.

Sincerely yours,

Charles.

Dr Charles Caraguel DVM MSc PhD

Veterinary Epidemiology & Aquatic Population Health

School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences

Leske Building G6

Roseworthy Campus, The University of Adelaide, SA, AUSTRALIA 5371

Work : +61 (0) 8 8313 1245

Mobile: +61 (0) 4 6773 1441

Fax : +61 (0) 8 8303 7956

e-mail: charles.caraguel

CRICOS Provider Number 00123M

Bug lights to help supplement pond fish diets?

Read an interesting article – abstract provided below.

In summary, although bug lights cannot be used on a commercial scale to grow fish for human consumption, it would be a handy supplement for night feeding fishes.

Journal of Applied Aquaculture
Volume 23, Number 3 (July 2011)
Can Reduced Stocking Rates and Bug Lights Produce Market-Sized Catfish From Fingerlings in One Growing Season?
Authors: CharlesC. Mischke 1
Author Affiliations:
1: Mississippi State University, Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center
Source: Journal of Applied Aquaculture, Volume 23, Number 3 (July 2011)
Page Numbers: 271 – 278
Available Full Text:
Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text
Format: PDF
Size: unknown
Location: Publisher’s Site
Authentication: EBSCOhost EJS
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of growing marketable channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus,from pond-run fingerlings (15.9 g/fish) using low stocking densities (7,413 or 14,826 fish/ha) and electrified bug lights to enhance natural forage available to fish. Even at low stocking densities, fish only averaged 0.2 kg at the end of the growing season. Because marketable sizes of fish were not reached over the growing season, stocking small fingerlings at these rates would not be practical under most commercial production scenarios. Nutritionally, captured insects from electrified bug lights were near a complete diet for catfish, but bug lights did not capture sufficient quantities of insects to affect fish production in either stocking density. Stocking small fingerlings at low stocking rates does not produce market-sized catfish during one growing season; commercially available bug lights did not provide adequate amounts of natural forage to affect production variables.
Citation: CharlesC. Mischke . Can Reduced Stocking Rates and Bug Lights Produce Market-Sized Catfish From Fingerlings in One Growing Season?. Journal of Applied Aquaculture, Volume 23, Number 3 (July 2011), pp. 271-278,
URL: http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=4039B2B0911D2DA0F9D2

See what this girl does to that one shark near the end…

see what this girl does to that one shark near the end http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WK2LpUoqX6A&vq=medium

A rare new find – A freshwater moray?

Is the elusive Gymnothorax polyuranodon really a freshwater moray?

  1. B. C. Ebner1,2,*,
  2. B. Kroll3,
  3. P. Godfrey1,4,
  4. P. A. Thuesen4,5,
  5. T. Vallance6,
  6. B. Pusey1,
  7. G. R. Allen7,
  8. T. S. Rayner8,
  9. C. N. Perna4,9

Article first published online: 25 MAY 2011

DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.02987.x

Journal of Fish Biology

Volume 79, Issue 1, pages 70–79, July 2011

Keywords:

  • Anguilliformes;
  • elusive species;
  • expert knowledge;
  • Muraenidae;
  • rarity;
  • salinity

Analysis of 36 records of the rarely encountered moray Gymnothorax polyuranodon indicate that juveniles and adults inhabit fresh and mildly brackish habitats (salinity < 5) in streams of the Australian Wet Tropics Eighty-one per cent of these records were from freshwater streams and collectively demonstrate that this species inhabits fresh water throughout all seasons. A survey of fish researchers, each with at least 100 h of field experience in Australia’s Wet Tropics, revealed that 33% of researchers working in fresh waters (nine of 27 researchers) had encountered the species and 15% of researchers with substantial experience working in estuaries (two of 13 researchers) had encountered the species. The species was not sampled or observed in the nearshore marine environment. The only record of an elver of this species was, however, found in an estuary at a salinity of 33·4. This preliminary evidence suggests adult G. polyuranodon occupy freshwater habitats, but further research is required to understand the complete life cycle, including movements, habitat use and reproductive ecology of the species.

Kamikazi anemone kills fishes

One of my clients rang me in distraught. Soon after installing a wave maker, his magnifica anemone that had made a home for itself and hadn’t moved from the one spot for nearly a year, decided to “walk”. And walk it did, but only briefly until it encountered the powerhead and minced itself in the propeller blades. Within 4 hours, all fish species in the tank started becoming ill and died. The clinical signs they presented include listlessness, respiratory distress and death.

This reminded me of a case in aquacultured fish during my time working as a veterinary fish pathologist in a state veterinary laboratory.  Usually, the netting used for aquacultured fish become fouled with aquatic organisms, and they are regularly taken ashore to be pressure cleaned and dried before re-use. But one time, the management thought it would save time and money to pressure clean the nets in-situ. But soon after this was done, high mortalities began to appear. Those fish that were affected were moribund and showed respiratory distress.  Microscopic analysis of the organs of the fishes showed widespread, multiple pin-point skin and gill damage as well as severe splenic and liver damage. Such a pattern of damage was similar to previously reported cases of jellyfish stings. In this case of aquacultured fish, it was discovered that one of the “fouling” organisms on the nets included hydrozoans. These are very closely related to jellyfish and have stinging cells known as nematocysts. The pressure cleaning is suspected to have pulverised the hydrozoans, showering the fish with the stingers. Ever since this event, the management has decided not to take short cuts with cleaning their nets.

So, back to this ornamental aquarium fish case. It is suspected that fishes were exposed to toxins within the nematocysts that were released from the “suicidal” anemone, induced by mechanical stimulation/damage. There is no rescuing severely affected fishes. The only things you can do is to remove your fishes from the dangerous waters. Try to catch the fishes out and house them in separate tank. Alternatively, very large water changes would be needed to dilute the dangerous toxins. Chemical filtration and protein skimming may  also help.