Aquatic animal health service providers have expressed concern that there is a shortfall of aquatic animal health professionals servicing Australia’s aquaculture industries. Despite this need, most current Australian education systems/institutions do not adequately cover aquatic animal health. In addition to the need for inclusion of aquatic animal health content in formal education courses, there is also a need for continuing education.

Identifying accreditation mechanisms to ensure competency in professionals providing aquatic animal health services to the aquaculture sector is another component of this strategy. This must needs go beyond the provision of veterinary services (which also provide limited training in aquatic animal health) For example, University of Tasmania currently provide a training course in histopathology of aquatic animals that is targeted at, and in part run by, non-veterinarians.

The lack of many recognised serious diseases is perceived as one of Australian aquaculture’s prime competitive advantages to meet future global demand. Maintenance of this high health status through initiatives which reduce the risk of disease incursions and facilitate early detection and response to emerging disease problems is seen as critical to continuing industry expansion. The range of commercially significant aquatic animal species, and their diseases, is increasing steadily. It is clear that, due to limited resources, diagnostic laboratories cannot develop proficiency in the diagnosis of all significant diseases, for example those listed in the Australian National List of Reportable Diseases of Aquatic Animals. Appropriately, State laboratories, in support of local industries, concern themselves with local aquatic animal species and their significant diseases and have developed expertise in those areas. Rather than duplicate this effort, AAHL’s involvement and expertise focuses on exotic diseases of concern to Australia, as well as new or emerging endemic diseases. As a consequence, expertise in specific diseases has developed in different laboratories throughout the country. To take advantage of this development, to ensure that expertise in different diseases is available Australia-wide, and to create a consistent system of aquatic animal disease diagnosis and reporting, it is proposed that a national network of laboratories should be established for the diagnosis and monitoring of aquatic animal diseases underpinned by a formal quality assurance program. Through a consultation process, uniform data standards and reporting formats need to be developed and adopted by all jurisdictions. Standard diagnostic tests and operating procedures also need to be developed and subsequently adopted by laboratories within the network. Thus this project is concerned with the establishment of the network and commencement of activities, including proficiency tests (“ring tests”) designed to assist laboratories in further developing their diagnostic capabilities and/or to allow demonstration that performance of a particular test is at a nationally accepted standard, using Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedures (ANZSDPs). In this way confidence of stakeholders in the quality of diagnosis provided is increased. The project is in complete alignment with AQUAPLAN 2005-2010.

Asthma is a common and increasing condition that affects people of all ages and around 2.2 million people in Australia. In children, asthma is the most common chronic illness that causes loss of time from school. The prevalence of asthma has doubled in the past 20 years and now affects 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 4 children. The annual cost of asthma to the health care system is estimated to be at least $720 million, which does not include time lost in absence from work or school. Asthma has now been listed as a National Health Priority Area by the Commonwealth Government and by both the NHMRC and the ARC, which are the major national competitive scientific funding bodies. This listing recognises the large and increasing burden of illness caused by asthma in Australia, as well as the recognised potential to achieve major health gains through improved prevention and treatment strategies for asthma. Research is urgently needed to identify ways to improve asthma control and reduce asthma prevalence.

Our proposed project is in line with the FRDC priorities and R&D plans in that we will promote the benefits of consuming biomolecules contained in fish and shellfish as well as whole foods. The definitive results obtained in the study will significantly reinforce and complement the benefits of eating seafood described in the SSA publication “What’s so healthy about seafood”. In combination with TUNRA and SSA we will actively promote the consumption of these items both in the medical and wider community, which will provide significant new commercial opportunities for the seafood industry.