The Aquarium Science (AQS) Program now has a Facebook page. Check in frequently for an update on our students’ activities, current classes and summer workshops jointly sponsored by the Aquarium Science Program and the Aquatic Animal Health Program.
Chris Spaulding, The AQS program director, just posted some great picks of some of the current cohorts term projects.
Dr. Tim
Here’s the link to the new Aquatic Animal Health Program Facebook page. I also have a Twitter feed. Our first use will be to post periodic updates and location indicators for the Rio Negro expedition which begins next Saturday. There will be a message and a link to the Delorme website. When you click on the link you will see a map with an arrow indicating our location. I’m using an inReach satellite communicator which only allows text messages and location information.
We’ll try to post some pictures when we get wireless access, probably only 1-2x during the course of the trip. One of my colleagues may be live blogging. If that works out, he will be using a sat phone and a data package, I’ll send the weblink.
In the future I’ll post bits of news, upcoming educational opportunities, and program activities.
Chat soon.
Tim
Looking for something different to do on January 25 – February 8th, 2014?
Here is an exciting opportunity to visit the natural habitats of many South American ornamental fish, and meet fishermen who collect these fish for the pet trade in a sustainable manner. The New England Aquarium would like to share with you the opportunity to travel with Project Piaba to the heart of the Amazon, Brazil’s Rio Negro. The expedition will be part of Project Piaba’s long term study on the Amazon fishery for the global home aquarium fish trade.
Join Dr Tim Miller-Morgan (Aquatic Animal Health Program, Oregon Sea Grant, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine), Dr Scott Dowd (New England Aquarium) and Dr. Nick Saint-Erne (Pet Quality Veterinarian, PetSmart, Inc.) on the adventure of a lifetime. We will be examining the development & implementation of Best Handling Practices with the goal of maximizing animal welfare, minimizing stress and trauma at capture and handling by intermediaries and also pre-export conditioning for maximizing market value and competitiveness.
The overall objective of the trip will be the continuation of the assessment of trade barriers and strategic planning to preserve and enhance the ornamental fishery and it’s benefits to the environment and local people.
Also, we’ll be spending a few days visiting an ornamental fishing community that we won’t be able to reach on the live-aboard boat. We’ll get there by motor canoe, and stay with the community for a couple nights.
Here is a link with some details about the trip:
http://explorers.neaq.org/2013/11/explore-amazon-with-aquarium-literally.html
or Project Piaba’s facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Piaba/332179033504804#!/pages/Project-Piaba/332179033504804
One last link – a very nice article in Discover Magazine on the project:
http://discovermagazine.com/2013/april/13-buy-a-fish-save-a-tree
Here is the cost breakdown for the trip:
Dates: January 25, – Feb. 8 2015
Costs: US $2,500 for the two weeks on the boat
Included:
accommodations in a double occupancy cabin. En suite, air conditioned
All meals, mineral water, coffee/tea, juices
all program activities, guides, etc
Local transportation in Brazil; airport pickup, & drop off
Not included:
airfare (rendezvous in Manaus, Brazil or Miami)
Guide/boat crew tips
Alcoholic and carbonated beverages – there is a well stocked bar on the
boat and a tab is settled up at the end of the trip
Continuing Education Credits will be available for participating veterinarians
For additional information, please contact:
Scott Dowd
New England Aquarium
Boston, MA
(781) 626-3138
sdowd@neaq.org
Or
Timothy J. Miller-Morgan, DVM, CertAqV
Aquatic Animal Health Program – Oregon Sea Grant,
College of Veterinary Medicine
Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University
2030 Marine Science Drive
Newport, OR 97365
(541) 867-0265 (office)
(541) 867-0320 (fax)
Skype Name: h20doc
tim.miller-morgan@oregonstate.edu
Sid Stetson – Research Aquarist, Aquatic Animal Health Program
06/20/13
Aquarists of all levels of accomplishment tend to share a lot of the same attributes. They are intensely curious about aquatic animals, quick to lend a hand when a friend or colleague needs assistance, generous with their time, resources and expertise, passionate about providing the best possible care for their animals and keenly interested in fostering a sense of community with others in the hobby or profession. All these attributes and more were exemplified by many of the members of the Pacific Northwest Marine Aquarium Society when they heard that the aquarists at Hatfield Marine Science Center were planning to build a new coral reef exhibit in the Visitor’s Center.
When members of the HMSC animal husbandry team recently rekindled their association with the PNWMAS and requested donations of coral fragments to give the exhibit a running start, many PNWMAS members graciously donated a wide range of different coral species. Several members collected and held these frags until HMSC Senior Aquarist Colleen Newberg and Staff Aquarist Kristen Simmons could pick them up and transport them back to Hatfield.
Not only were PNWMAS members generous in the number of coral species they donated, they were generous in the quality of the animals as well. Many of the frags were of especially prized species that fetch a very respectable price at retailers. While it may be unseemly to quantify the value of animals in monetary terms, it would be much more so not to mention the value of this organization’s contributions to HMSC. PNWMAS members donated coral frags worth at least $3,000 and perhaps as much as $4,000 so that guests in the Visitor’s Center could enjoy the beauty and endless variety of forms of these animals.
There’s another and much more important facet to this organization’s generosity. By fragging out corals and sharing them with other aquarists, the members of PNWMAS and similar organizations reduce collection pressure on natural reefs all over the world. No other type of habitat supports as much biodiversity as a coral reef and the majority of aquarists responsibly seek out animals that have been sustainably cultured in order to preserve these important resources. By sharing corals and other types of animals they have cultured, aquarists like these PNWMAS members become stewards of the animals in coral reefs everywhere, as well as the reefs in their homes.
Hatfield Marine Science Center will be hosting the next PNWMAS meeting on Saturday, June 29. The members of the animal husbandry team are looking forward to meeting PNWMAS members and express their appreciation for the donations. They also look forward to returning members’ generosity when Hatfield’s coral propagation ramps up in the months ahead.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said, “Talent is always conscious of its own abundance, and does not object to sharing.” The aquarists of the Pacific Northwest Marine Aquarium Society are a talented bunch, indeed. Thanks, folks, from the animal husbandry team at Hatfield Marine Science Center.
University of Hawaii has developed a unique online learning site for individuals seeking to develop basic skills in aquaculture and aquaponics. The program, Aquaculture Training and Online Learning (ATOLL), is an excellent way to begin to develop the core knowledge and skills for working at an entry level in the aquaculture or aquaponics industry. Further, the modules on aquaponics will be very useful for anyone interested in building a backyard aquaponics system.
There is one fee for full access to the program and you may work through the modules sat your own pace. Upon completion of each module there is a quiz and and upon passing the quiz you will receive notification of module completion. You also have the ability to immediately rate each module and interact with other students around the world through the online student center.
Our initial Beta offering of ATOLL last Spring had 138 students from U.S., Morocco, Mexico, Brazil, Palau, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Finland, Singapore, Bahamas, Portugal, Chile, Belgium, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Russia!
I have been involved in preparing a number of the modules related to fish form and function, biosecurity and health management, aquaculture systems, and the ornamental fish industry. It was a great experience, my first time developing such an online module. Try it out and let me know what you think. We are always willing to hear suggestions about how we can improve the program.
Check out the site!!
Thanks,
Dr. Tim
Since we are on the topic of viral diseases, I thought I’d share a few recent publications about viral diseases in ornamental fish and a few associated with food fish. These are excellent publications that are not too technical but provide a nice overview of the current state of our knowledge regarding the biology and management of these diseases.
Below are two background publications about the basics of fish viral diseases and the potential role of vaccination as part of an overall biosecurity program.
We are currently seeking a Senior Aquarist to work within the Aquatic Animal Health Program at OSU, https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=299392
This position is posted under “adminstrative/professional faculty”. While the posting is listed as Corvallis the actual position is based in Newport at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.
Please pass this on to anyone you feel might be qualified and interested.
Thank you.
I’m sorry that it has been awhile since I posted but I’m back and have some new opportunities to share with everyone.
First, please visit AquacultureHub. This is a community for aquaculture professionals, students, and enthusiasts to network and share information about the culture of aquatic animals and plants. It is hosted by the University of Hawaii – Aquaculture Program.There is also a video and photo library, a forum, sub-speciality groups and a number of blogs. You can even develop your own AquacultureHub page. I have a page and number of videos posted on this site. I look forward to meeting you at AquacultureHub.
Just finished teaching 1 week intensive Ornamental Fish Medicine Course. Great group of 12 participants: 8 senior veterinary students from OSU, 2 professional aquarists (Oregon Coast Aquarium and Seattle Aquarium), 1 veterinarian from the SEattle Aquarium, and 1 colleague from India ( Dr. Anna Mercy, Kerala College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences). Great learning experience for all of us. Great exchanges during the lectures, labs, group projects and case studies. Looking forward to next year. Considering expanding to 2 weeks. Thanks to my co-instructors: Dennis Glaze, Dr. Jerry Heidel, Stu Clausen, and Dr. Anna Mercy.
Dr. Mercy is from Kerala College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, India. She participated in the course but was also kind enough to give two lectures. One lecture addressed the current status of the Indian ornamental fish industry and outreach work she has lead to train ornamental fish farmers. In the second lecture Dr. Mercy discussed some of the common health problems associated with collecting native broodstock and breeding these fish in captivity. We recorded both of these lectures and you will be able to view them on our YouTube channel soon. I will post the links once the lectures have been posted.
Here’s the course outline for the course this year.
VMB 727
ORNAMENTAL FISH MEDICINE
April 2-6, 2012
Lead Instructor:
Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, DVM
Oregon Sea Grant – Aquatic Animal Health
College of Veterinary Medicine
tim.miller-morgan@oregonstate.edu
Co-Instructors:
Dr. Jerry Heidel, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Cert. Fish Pathologist
Dennis Glaze, AAS – Aquarium Science
Stuart Clausen, BS, Cert. Aquarium Science
Recommended Texts:
o Wildgoose, W. 2001. BSAVA Manual of Ornamental Fish, Second Edition, BSAVA, Gloucester, UK 304p. Available through Amazon.com and Blackwell Publishing.
o Noga, E. 2010. Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment. Mosby, New York. Available through Amazon.com and Blackwell Publishing Roberts, H. 2010.
o Roberts, H. (2010) Fundamentals of Ornamental Fish Health, Wiley-Blackwell, New York. 229p.
MONDAY (We’ll start @ 0900)
AM (Old Library)
• Introduction
• Ornamental Fish: Essential Anatomy and Physiology and the Interface with the Captive Environment. (Old Library)
PM
• Clinical approach and procedures (Old Library)
• Laboratory: fish handling, sedation and common clinical procedures (West Wing – AAHTL)
TUESDAY
AM
• Laboratory: Review – Components water management systems (Dennis Glaze, West Wing – AAHTL)
• Life Support System Assessment (Old Library)
o Fish Health Cases I (Handout) – water management cases
PM
• Fish Necropsy and Dissection (Lab – TBA, Dr. Jerry Heidel)
• Laboratory: fish handling, sedation and common clinical procedures, cont. (West Wing – AAHTL)
• Evening Lecture – An Overview of the Indian Ornamental Fish Industry (Dr. Anna Mercy)
WEDNESDAY
AM
• Common Clinical Problems of Ornamental fish I (Old Library)
• Common Clinical Problems of Pet Fish II (Old Library)
PM
• Common Clinical Problems of Pet Fish II cont. (Old Library)
• Management and treatment of fish disease
• Laboratory: fish handling, sedation and common clinical procedures, cont. (West Wing – AAHTL)
o Fish Health Cases II (Handout) – Medical Cases
THURSDAY
AM
• Biosecurity and the Essential Principles of Fish Health Management (Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan)
• Collection, Transport and Acclimation of Ornamental Fish ( Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan)
• Handout Biosecurity consultation problems (Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan and Dennis Glaze)
PM
• Common Health Management Issues Associated with the Production of Native Indian Fish Species (Dr. Anna Mercy)
• Case Discussions I
FRIDAY
AM (Old Library)
• Laboratory:
o Assessing fish populations (Oregon Coast Aquarium)
o Handling, sedation and clinical examination of elasmobranchs (Stu Clausen, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Passages of the Deep)
PM (Old Library)
• Biosecurity Consultation problem (Old Library)
• Case Discussions II
• Evaluations
I’m a bit late posting this but on February 5th I did another interview with the Under the Sea Radio Show. We had a wide ranging discussion over two hours. THe first hour really addressed careers in veterinary medicine with a focus on aquatics. The second hour was quite an open discussion of fish health management. I hope you enjoy the show.