Category Archives: Travel

Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, educational opportunities, Emerging diseases, Emerging issues, fish medicine, Freshwater tropicals, Fun, Industry Profiles, Travel, Uncategorized, Views of the industry

The AAHP now has a Facebook page and Twitter feed!!!

January 21, 2014 millermt Leave a comment

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

animal husbandry, Aquaculture, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, Continuing education, educational opportunities, Emerging issues, Entertainment, Freshwater tropicals, Fun, Special Events, Travel, Uncategorized

Come visit the Amazon with us

December 3, 2013 millermt 2 Comments

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

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

animal husbandry, biosecurity, educational opportunities, Emerging issues, Entertainment, fish health management, Fun, Industry Profiles, Koi, Koi Herpes Virus, Special Events, Travel, Uncategorized, Views of the industry

What Fish!!! The 47th Annual ZNA show in Kobe, Japan

November 18, 2012 millermt 1 Comment

Spent the morning at the ZNA show at Merikan Park in Kobe. We saw some very impressive fish.

The grand champion was a very impressive Kohaku.

From the standpoint of biosecurity there have been a few changes over the years. THe tanks are separated by at least 3 feet to reduce the risk of cross contamination via splash. Each owner has his/her own tank for their fish but the fish are not judged in the tanks. They are laid out in their plastic transport bags on a blue tarp ( see picture above) and sorted by variety and size. These bags have a very high optical quality to allow for excellent viewing of the fish. They are judged here and then moved to their respective owners tanks after the outer surfaces of the bags are disinfected. This is an elegant combination of the old Japanese style show and the English style show. The judges are able to judge all the fish of the same size and variety together ( old Japanese approach) while still maintaining separation of the fish by owner ( English style). This is an excellent approach that reduces the risks to the fish but allows for an optimal judging environment. Of course, all other biosecurity practices must be maintained especially related to equipment used for cleaning the tanks but all-in-all an elegant solution.

animal husbandry, Aquaculture, Aquarium Science, aquatic veterinary medicine, biosecurity, educational opportunities, Emerging diseases, Emerging issues, fish health management, fish health procedures, Freshwater tropicals, Husbandry Training, Marine Ornamental Fish, Marine Science Center, Travel, Views of the industry

So what does Dr. Tim do at the Hatfield Marine Science Center? The lost radio show found!!

November 10, 2011 millermt 1 Comment

It has been quite awhile since I’ve posted. Here is a little interview from the past.

Marine Science Chat is a regular radio show in Newport that showcases individuals and work being done at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. These shows are also available as podcasts.

I participated in one of these programs a number of months ago but the file was lost foe a time. The interview is now available. So if you are interested in what I do at the HMSC have a listen.

I’m heading to Japan later today. Stay tuned for posts about this current trip.

animal husbandry, Aquaculture, biosecurity, educational opportunities, Emerging issues, Freshwater tropicals, Husbandry Training, Industry Profiles, Travel, Views of the industry

Views of Ornamental fish farming in India

May 13, 2011 millermt 13 Comments

I’ve been back from my trip to India and lsrael for a bit over two months but until now winding down the quarter has kept me from posting about this trip.

I travelled to India to attend the Asia Pacific Aquaculture Conference held in Kochin. While there I gave three papers related to industry development and training. Perhaps I will provide more on that at a later date.

I had the opportunity to visit some fish farms in the beautiful backwaters of Kerala. These were primarily polyculture operations, rice and fish or rice and prawns. I then had the opportunity to travel with Mr. Krishna Dey and Dr. Narayanan, two private consultants to the ornamental fish industry in India. Mr. Dey arranged for me to meet with representatives from the Kerala Ornamental Fish Farmers Association (KOFFA) and tour some of their facilities in the hills above Kochin. There are about 200 tropical fish farms in Kerala with a focus on many common freshwater ornamental fish and ornamental aquatic plants. There are also a number of native fishes that are collected in the wild or cultured. THese are being exported in low numbers or being developed for export. I hope to have a guest blog on this in the future. At this point most of the local production is going into the domestic market but the industry is working towards building its export capacity.

While touring these facilities Mr. Dey, Dr. Narayanan and myself had the opportunity to film a short educational video that will be released to the local association. The video followed an interview/discussion format between myself , Dr. Narayanan and Mr. Dey as we discussed emerging health issues and principles of health management at each of the facilities. This culminated in a group discussion between the three of us as well as Mr. Rajan Punnoose, Vice President of the KOFFA and Mr. Joy Joseph past president of the KOFFA. The setting was the beautiful garden at Mr. Joy’s home and fish farm/hatchery. I hope to make the video available on this blog in the near future.

I’ve included some images from this trip. I hope you enjoy the tour. I’ll post some images and thoughts about the Israel leg in a few days.

Cultured freshwater prawns

Enjoying the stop, rice field in the background

Backwaters scenes, sunrise

Ornamental fish farm, pond culture, sorting for sale

ornamental fish farm, tank culture, hatchery

ornamental fish farm, tank culture - Mr. Joy (Owner) and Mr. Punnoose discuss production.

ornamental fish farm, tank culture - discussing rearing techniques

Discussing biosecurity in the hatchery - Dr. Narayanan, Mr. Joy and Mr. Punnoose

Getting ready to have our final taped discussion about health management, biosecurity and industry development

Fun, Industry Profiles, Koi, Special Events, Travel, Uncategorized, Views of the industry

I am not a professional photographer!!! But for your viewing pleasure…..

November 4, 2010 millermt Leave a comment

I did receive a request to post a few more pictures of some of the koi we’ve seen.

Here are a some from the Niigata Breeders show, a few of the koi farms in Niigata and from the Hiroshima Nogasai (Agricultural) Show. The Hiroshima show is also a breeders show that is very similar, though a bit smaller, than the show we attended in Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture.

I’ve also tried to identify the variety of koi in each picture. I believe I have most of them correctly identified. I had my identifications reviewed by a professional (Tony Prew). All should be correct unless I missed a some when I reviewed my pictures with Tony (my task during a 3 hour train ride). I had about 80% correct. I’m learning!!!

Any errors are mine alone and I’m sure someone will let me know if I’ve misidentified a variety.

In any case, you can begin to get a feel for the varieties of koi that are available in Japan.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about the Japanese Koi Industry, its development and the varieties of koi visit the International Nishikigoi Promotion Center’s web site.

Here are the pictures in no particular order:

Hikari Doitsu Ochiba, Sanke, Showa — Hikari Doitsu Ochiba, Sanke and Showa

Shiro Utsuri, Sanke, Tancho sanke, Kikusui, Doistu Kohaku — Shiro Utsuri, Sanke, Tancho sanke, Kikusui and Doistu Kohaku

Shiro Utsuri, Tancho Kujaku, Kujaku — Shiro Utsuri, Tancho Kujaku and Kujaku

Industry Profiles, Travel, Views of the industry

Some Images from the 2009 ZNA show in Izumosano, Japan

November 16, 2009 millermt 1 Comment

Below are a few images from the 2009 ZNA show which ended yesterday. The ZNA is an international koi hobbyist organization which was founded in Japan but now has chapters all over the world, including one in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy the pictures.

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

Japan 2009: Niigata – Agritourism and Koi Kichi

November 13, 2009 millermt 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.

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

November 13, 2008 millermt 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!!!

biosecurity, Industry Profiles, Travel, Views of the industry

Observations: The world of Koi in Japan – ZNA All Japan Show

November 9, 2008 millermt 1 Comment

I’ve travelled to Japan to spend a week visiting a number of koi breeders around Niigata and Hiroshima and to attend the ZNA All Japan Nishikigoi (Koi) show. I was invited by Tony Prew and Arthur Hixon of Oregon Koi Gardens to travel with them on one of their annual buying trips. My travel was very generously sponsored by Gil and Jan Gilman of Peaceful Ponds.

I arrived in Narita international airport last night on a flight from Hawaii (more about that part of the trip later) and met Tony. We then caught a train into Tokyo. From there we traveled on the Shinkasen (the Bullet Train) to Nagaoka. Then a one of Tony Prew’s friends, a local breeder, Mr. Hoshino met us and drove us to our hotel in Ojyia City. After a good night’s sleep and some breakfast we were off to the Koi Show.

This show is the ZNA All Japan Koi Show. It is in its 44th year and is the premier show for hobbyists in Japan.

One feature that I found interesting was their solution to the Japanese style vs the English style koi show. For those of you that are not familiar with these terms in a Japanese style show all the fish in the same size class and variety are generally placed in the same tank for judging. This method presents some serious risks to the fish in terms of potential disease transmission in that you are mixing fish from different sources with potentially unknown health histories. The solution to this problem was the English style koi show in which all fish from the same owner are placed together in one tank regardless of size and variety. This presents a problem for the Judges as they cannot compare all of the fish of the same class side-by-side. They must circulate between all of the tanks. However, the risk of disease transmission is significantly reduced provided people keep their hands out of the water and all equipment is adequately disinfected between tanks and measures are taken to reduce the risk of splash between tanks.

The the solution the Japanese have now developed is to hold the fish in bags for judging where they are grouped by size and variety. Once they are judged the bags surfaces are disinfected and the fish are transferred to tanks allocated to each owner in the English style fashion. These plastic bags apparently have an improved optical quality that allows the judges to adequately assess the fish. Further, the fish that I observed appeared to be quite calm and in general I did not see many fish with overt signs of stress. An interesting solution. I will be curious to see how this method pans out over the next few years.