Workshop for
OIE National Focal Points for Aquatic Animals,
Byblos, Lebanon, 11–13 August 2013
Biosecurity in aquaculture
Edgar Brun
OIE Collaborating Centre on Epidemiology and
Risk Assessment for Aquatic Animal Diseases
Atlantic Veterinary College
Biosecurity

A holistic concept for the sustainability of
aquaculture (food production)

Aims to protect environment including biological
diversity

Based on regulations and standards to be applied at
international-, national- and site level
Biosecurity
Every action involved in
● avoiding entry of pathogens (prevention/exclusion)
 Into a country
 into a farm
● controlling further spread of pathogens
(containment)
● reducing consequences of outbreaks (eradication)
Cultured aquatic animals

are traded world wide as eggs, live animals and
products

are kept in open or semi-open systems

are part of the local ecological system
● are continuously exposed to environmental microorganisms (and visa versa)

are more “stressed” than surrounding fellow animals
in the wild
Three levels within biosecurity

National/international level – governmental
responsibility

Regional level – shared/industry responsibility

Site level – company/private responsibility
International/national level

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International standards (OIE, WTO, Codex)
National legal framework
Management policy (hazards, surveillance, stamping
out, compensation …)
Authority for implementing control measures at
national, regional and site level
Infrastructure
● Lines of command
● Laboratories
● Reporting system
● Information system
● Competence building
Regional level

Epidemiological unit


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How is the connection between farms
Can groups of farms be organized into zones
Regional collaboration


Interaction between big intensive companies and small
(semi-) extensive private enterprises
Can coordinated measures be implmented at the same time
Example; development of PD in Norway
PD-outbreaks 1995-2010
Total number of outbreaks per year
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
PD- distribution in Norway 2008-2010
Hustadvika
Biosecurity measures to an emerging
disease (ISA)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
700
600
ISAV identified
500
400
300
200
100
0
2004
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
ISA made notifiable
1992
1990
1988
1986
1984
First occurrence
of ISA
Official guidelines for the
handling of outbreaks
Contingency plan,
revidert
Introduction of zones to combat outbreaks
Regulation on disinfection of wastewater from slaughterhouses
and processing plants, and of the seawater supply in hatcheries
Compulsory health certificate
Compulsory health control in hatcheries
Regulations on transport (vehicles and hygienic measures)
Ban on using seawater in hatcheries
Ban on moving fish already put to sea
The ”Stop ISA campaign”
Biosecurity at site level
Wild aquatic
animals
abiotic
biotic
Environment
abiotic
biotic
biotic
Farmed aquatic
animals
Import/trade
Biosecurity at site level
Described in a BIOSECURITY PLAN
● Based on a biosecurity risk assessment
● SOPs for various tasks/procedures
● Routine health/disease monitoring
● Contingency plans
● Should be generic
● The plan should be understood and respected by
all employees (biosecurity awareness)
● Routines for auditing and updating
Biosecurity assessment at site

Risk characterization of the facility

Pathogen exposure

Risk characterization of management

Identification of critical points
Risk characterization of the facility



Location and physical lay-out
Internal production flow
Separation into sub-units
Pathogen exposure

Which infectious hazards are threatening the plant,
their epidemiology and control measures
●
●
●
●
●
●
routes of introduction and spread
What do we know about the infectious agents
What do we know about the disease
Does the farm have susceptible species
Available diagnostic test
Available vaccines
Introduction routes
Oidtman et al 2011
Disease transmission in fish

Direct contact between fish
●
●

Ingestion (oral)
●
●
●
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Vertical or horizontal
Entry through skin, open wounds, gills
Infected live or frozen fish
Cannibalism of dead
or dying fish
Contaminated feed
Water Sources
●
●
Inputs, transfer
Including aerosols
 Spray or splashes
between tanks
Dr. Alain Le breton
Disease transmission in fish

Fomites: Inanimate objects
●
●

Vectors: Living creatures
●
●
●

Equipment: Nets, buckets,
siphon hoses
Footwear, clothing, vehicles
Predatory birds, wildlife
Pets
People
Zoonotic: affects people
● Bacterial agents




Mycobacterium
Edwardsiella
Erysipelothrix
Klebsiella
● Parasitic agents
 Anisakis
Dr. Alain Le breton
Risk characterization of management

Operations and routines
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
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Routines for disease control
Handling of diseased fish
Awareness for early disease detection
Data registration
Clear responsibility
Traffic control
Disinfection
Competence
● Biosecurity awareness
● Knowledge of basic hygiene principles
● Basic knowledge of diseases
Risk based characterization of a farm –
control of fish movement
Dr. Alain Le breton
Production function
Resource input
(animals, feed, labour, etc.)
Production
process
Output: goods, services
(to satisfy human needs)
Biosecurity
Diseases
Diseases will reduce the efficiency by which input are converted into output
Biosecurity
• will reduce the probability of infectious exposure (known and
unknown) and curtail its effect (holistic)
• is additional input to the production function
• may increase output or lower the need for input
• should be balanced between benefit and cost
Core issues to

Balance knowledge on hazards, technical feasibility
and cost

Tailor the biosecurity plan according to the specific
needs on each individual farm
Biosecurity

… everybody will sooner or later face the challenge
of a disease outbreak

…is an act of responsibility
● to the farmed animals
● to the environment
● to fellow producers
● to society
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION