All posts by millermt

animal husbandry, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, fish health management, Marine Ornamental Fish, Mortality, quarantine, Survival, Views of the industry

Ornamental Marine Fish Survival Survey

3 Comments

Coral Magazine recently posted an online survey intended to address survival of ornamental marine fish in their readers tanks. Coral Magazine put this survey out in response to an editorial and book promotion written by Robert Winter and posted on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society website.

The current survey results are based upon approximately 250-300 responses according to James Lawrence the editor and publisher of Coral magazine. He cautions that Coral readers tend to be high achievers in the marine aquarium keeping world but there also were a few responders that are new to the hobby.

Both items have stimulated a number of interesting responses. I found Dr. Neil Monks response particularly thought provoking.

I encourage you to review the survey results and read the various responses. What’s clear is that the answers are not simple and people are passionate about these issues but that there is much room for improvement when it comes to overall health management of these species from reef to the home tank. I appreciate Coral Magazine’s willingness to delve into this issue and I’ve found the forum discussions to be very interesting.

As with any industry and hobby there are conscientious and unscrupulous players. It is always easy to point fingers but I’m most interested in how we can constantly move to improve the quality of marine ornamental fish health. Parts of the survey begin to get at this but I’d like to hear some suggestions addressing how the industry and the hobby can begin to be more proactive when addressing these issues.

Some questions for discussion:

  • Can there be sustainable harvest?
  • Is aquaculture the answer?
  • If so, what about the many communities that depend upon wild harvest for their livelihoods?
  • Do you think certification is or can be effective?
  • How can we incentivize improved health management throughout the supply chain?
  • How can we better reach hobbyists and instill the importance of quality husbandry?
  • Is it possible to economically insert quarantine and disease screening into the industry?
  • If not, how can we convince hobbyists to set up their own quarantine systems?
  • How would you go about convincing a new  hobbyist to institute quarantine?
  • Can veterinarians play a role here? If so, how? If not, why?
  • If the global veterinary profession could assist the industry and hobby what would be the most appropriate role we should play?
  • Obviously, my focus is on fish health. Feel free to insert other issues into the discussion.

In past posts I’ve been accused of preaching to the choir. That’s fine because I’m interested in your thoughts as active/passionate members of this hobby and industry .  Be creative. Think outside the box.

So, Let’s hear your your thoughts, comments and ideas!! Just be civil!!

Uncategorized

Remember, even the bugs can have bugs!!

1 Comment

This news is a few months old but I though everyone might find this new discovery interesting. It seems that Ichthyophthirius or Ich, as it is commonly known, has two new species of bacteria that appear to reside within the Ich organism itself.

If you are interested in accessing the original journal abstract or the  article, Endosymbiotic Bacteria in the Parasitic Ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Just click on the title. There are also some beautiful images in the paper.

Interesting stuff with implications for further characterizing the role these bacteria may play in fish infections and new approaches to treatment.

animal husbandry, Industry Profiles, Travel, Uncategorized, Views of the industry

Japan 2009: Niigata – Agritourism and Koi Kichi

1 Comment

I’m in Japan again to continue learning about the Japanese Koi industry. I’m currently in Niigata, generally considered to be the birthplace of Nishikigoi (koi) keeping and production. What began as rice framers rearing carp as an additional food source in small rural villages  has evolved into a major industry that rivals rice production and brings hobbyists and dealers from all over the world to this mountainous area of Japan. This is now an industry that really caters to the international markets. I’ve  read that 80% of the koi produced in this area are exported out of Japan. Further a thriving sub-industry has developed catering to the international koi dealers and their customers, the koi Kichi (Koi crazy),  that travel to this area every year to view and purchase nishikigoi, a unique example of agritourism. Below are a few images that illustrate the extent to which nishikigoi have become part of the landscape here in Ojiya city and the surrounding countryside especially as the local breeders and the small communities have developed an infrastructure to cater to the visiting koi kichi.

Aquarium Science, Husbandry Training, Special Events

The Oyster Cloyster – Annual fundraising event for the Aquarium Science Program

Leave a comment

The Oyster Cloyster, the annual fundraising event for the Aquarium Science Program at Oregon Coast Community College occurs Saturday November 7th, 2009 at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

If you are in the Pacific Northwest this is a great evening event. Plan to spend the weekend. Spend the day Saturday at the Hatfield Marine Science Center – Visitor Center (HMSC-VC) and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Then return to the Oregon Coast Aquarium for an evening of  oysters prepared by our PNW chefs, desserts, wine, various musical entertainments and a chance to view the aquarium at night.

For those that wish to stay overnight in Newport I will offer a tour of our newly remodeled Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory at the Hatfield Marine Science Center Sunday morning at 1030. This is the primary teaching laboratory for the Ornamental Fish Health Program. This facility is where we offer many of our industry oriented training programs as well as programs for our aquarium Scienece students, veterinary students and veterinarians. Please meet me at the Front entrance to the HMSC – VC at 1030.

If you are interested in the Sunday tour please email me by Thursday 11/5 at tim.miller-morgan@oregonstate.edu so that I can get a rough head count. Please put Post Oyster Cloyster Tour in the subject line.

Hope to see you there. It’s a fun event and supports a  great cause, training future aquarists from the ornamental fish industry, public aquaria, aquatic research laboratories and resource hatcheries.

animal husbandry, biosecurity, fish health management, quarantine

Sustainable Aquarium Keeping: A Recent article about green aquaria from Slate.com

6 Comments

See the recent post by Nina Shen Rastogi at http://www.slate.com/id/2221024/.

Some other important points that I would also emphasize:

  • Learn as much as you can about the particular fish species and their needs in captivity before they are purchased. This research might lead one to decide that a particular fish is not the right species for them to maintain in an aquarium.
  • Focus on purchasing healthy fish in the first place. Learn the general signs that indicate a healthy fish as well as a sick fish ( I’ll discuss these in future posts).
  • Find a trusted fish supplier that is genuinely concerned about selling healthy fish and educating his or her customers about maintaining healthy fish.
  • Seriously consider utilizing a quarantine for all new arrivals before they are added to holding or display tanks (more about this later).

We can all do our part by keeping our fish as healthy as possible. We do this by understanding the needs of the animals in our care, demanding healthy well handled fish from our supplier and by practicing excellent health management while these animals are in our care. These are a few of the small, but important, ways we can work to preserve the wild resources by striving to keep the animals in our care healthy and long-lived.

Can this be a truly green/sustainable industry/hobby? If so, what do you think that would look like in 20 years?

Comments and criticisms?

aquatic veterinary medicine, fish health management, fish medicine

Dr. Craig Adams, MS, DVM discusses fish surgery

Leave a comment

From AVMA, AquaVetMed an interview with one of our local, Pacific Northwest Fish Veterinarians: 

 

As the field of aquatic veterinary medicine expands, so do the medical options available for fish. One of these options is surgery.

 

As fish become more popular as pets, the demand for veterinarians to look after their health also increases. Whether you’ve got a guppie or a koi, any fish owner who develops a strong bond with their fish wants access to the best health care they can find. As the field of aquatic veterinary medicine expands, so do the medical options available for sick or injured fish. One of these options, explains Dr. Craig Adams, a mixed-animal veterinarian and owner of Aquatic Veterinary Services in western Washington, is surgery.

 

Listen to the podcast, or download as an MP3.

aquatic veterinary medicine, bacterial diseases, biosecurity, Continuing education, educational opportunities, fish health management, fish medicine, Invertebrate health, Shellfish Health, viral disease, water quality, water quality related diseases

Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Sessions, Seattle – American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Meeting

2 Comments

In less than 4 weeks the AVMA Annual Convention will occur in Seattle, WA, July, 11-14, 2009. We have assembled 4 days of training seminars for veterinarians and veterinary technicians with an interest in pet fish and commercial production of shellfish. Click here for a schedule of the sessions we will offer. Further, the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association will hold its Annual General Meeting and two days of clinical presentations related to symptomatology, diagnosis and treatment of common aquatic maladies.

I hope to see you there.

Aquatic Invasive Species, Continuing education, Views of the industry

Aquatic Invasive Species and the Ornamental Fish Industry

1 Comment

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are a growing global concern. The ornamental fish industry is certainly coming under increased scrutiny as it is involved with the international movement of thousand of aquatic species.

In an effort to educate industry members Ornamental Fish International (OFI) has organized an Invasive Alien Species Conference at the 2009 Aquarama Trade Show in Singapore, May 30, 2009. 

OFI has also posted some articles from the OFI Journal that provide some industry perspective on this issue.

The ornamental industry is just one of many industries that will be impacted by this emerging issue which posses significant threats to ecosystem health, human health and economic health on a local, national and global scale.

Oregon Extension Sea Grant has been heavily involved in AIS outreach for a number of years primarily through Sam Chan our Aquatic Ecosystem Health Educator. If you would like to learn more about AIS, particularly in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, visit Sam Chan’s web site. Through his site you can also link to many other sources of information regarding this important topic.

animal husbandry, bacterial diseases, biosecurity, parasitic diseases, quarantine, Travel, Views of the industry

Observations: The world of Koi in Japan – Koi Breeders, Niigata and Hiroshima

4 Comments

We’ve been able to visit about 10 breeders in Japan,  8 breeders in Niigata and one in Hiroshima. Here are a few of my quick impressions/observations so far based upon the visits to these few facilities:

  • Most all of the fish I’ve seen are very healthy and vigorous. I was particularly impressed with the 1 year-olds (tosai). WOW!!, No I don’t have a good eye but from a health standpoint they looked great.
  • Those that appeared “off” were not for sale.
  • Most common diseases appear to be Anchor worm and Columnaris. The columaris is generally a problem when the fish come out of the ponds and move into the greenhouses.
  • Sleeping disease is also a problem. This  disease, which is not well characterized, causes problems primarily with 1-2 year old koi in the Winter months.  The fish tend to lie unmoving on the bottom of the pond. They will swim when stimulated.
  • Costia can also be a problem at times.
  • The government requires testing for Spring Viremia of Carp and Koi Herpes Virus four times a year.
  • Biosecurity concepts are understood and practiced to varying degrees as we see in the US. Most breeders have moved to locked facilities, appear to have separate sets of equipment for each facility and all we visited have foot baths at the entrances (however, actual use seems to vary). few places also have hand wash stations.
  • A couple facilities have quarantine greenhouses into which recently harvested fish are moved for observation and to await testing. 
  • All breeders seem to be very concerned  and try to be conscientious about biosecurity. The level of practice is often related to the actual amount of fish trade (economics). More trade in koi results in more funds that can be invested in biosecurity. Fish  or ponds that are ill or appear off are generally isolated, pulled from sale, or moved from the holding areas until resolved.
  • As we see in the US biosecurity requires constant diligence by everyone in each facility and throughout. Everyone must: Think Biosecurity, Plan Biosecurity and Act Biosecurely, 
  • I’ll post some photos of a selection of facilities and some more information/thoughts in the near future. This was just a few quick notes. All-in-all this has been a great learning opportunity for me and I really appreciate all the patience from the breeders with all of my questions. I have seen some beautiful fish!!!