Oysters Australia IPA: Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) – closing knowledge gaps to continue farming C. gigas in Australia
Revision of the existing AQUAVETPLAN: ‘Viral Encephalopathy and Retinopathy Disease Strategy Manual’
People development program: 2012 FRDC International Travel Bursaries - Dr Joy Becker
In FRDC 2007/007 and FRDC 2009/044, it was determined that ornamental fish entering Australia are a source of exotic pathogens, such as cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV2). This is of particular relevance for goldfish, where domestic breeders claim that their stock succumb to CyHV2 disease when brought into contact with imported goldfish in wholesale and retail premises. CyHV2 only affects goldfish and was addressed in the 1999 IRA as being exotic to Australia. Recent research findings from FRDC 2009/044 indicated that CyHV2 is present in domestic Australian goldfish populations. On 1 September 2011, Biosecurity Australia amended the health certification requirements for the importation of goldfish and no longer requires fish to be certified free of CyHV2.
The detection of CyHV2 and other exotic aquatic pathogens (e.g. gourami iridovirus) was achieved through the application of molecular techniques, such as PCR. Correctly applied and interpreted, molecular approaches offer unique opportunities to understand the local and global spread of a disease. The advancement of molecular approaches is required to safeguard Australia against pathogen incursions through the processes of informed policy development and import risk analysis.
There is a need to disseminate the research that determined that CyHV2 is now established in Australia and how scientific evidence was used to change national biosecurity policy to the international scientific community. There is also a need to ensure the availability of people with specialised training in molecular epidemiology in Australia to stay at the forefront of the application of this technology.
Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Tools for investigation of the nodavirus carrier state in marine, euryhaline and freshwater fish and control of NNV through integrated management
This project relates directly to the FRDC VNN Research and Development Plan, to facilitate industry profitability, sustainability, growth and development. There is an overarching need to measure and then reduce the risk to fisheries and aquaculture sectors (including natural resources) associated with transfer of nodaviruses. The aquaculture industry is proactive and responsible (eg triple bottom line reporting) and wishes to manage risks based on sound science. Industry acknowledges a residual risk that cannot be controlled: virus prevalence in the wild and natural fish movements. However, there is an immediate need for industry to conduct business in the face of unknowns with respect to true disease status. While there is a need to ensure that infected, but apparently healthy, stock are not moved to areas that are considered free of the disease/disease agent, it is of fundamental importance for the sustainability of the barramundi aquaculture industry and developing species ventures such as Australian bass that stock are translocated. Current tests for determining disease status are considered inadequate, therefore biosecurity protocols in the short-term are required to address the risk of introduction of disease with water, broodstock and fomites. As new information becomes available through R&D, these protocols will be revised and improved as needed to improve biosecurity. In the meantime, protocols are needed to manage risks with incomplete information and without overburdening industry with uneconomic or unwarranted requirements. There is need for mitigation of impacts on translocation: hatchery to nursery to grow-out; hatchery to wild (eg stocking for recreational fishing); both intra-state and interstate translocations, access to overseas markets; sourcing broodstock from the wild. Financial impacts, environmental impacts and mulitsectorial impacts at level of commercial, recreational and regulatory sectors all need to be addressed.