Each year, AGD costs the industry millions of dollars in terms of loss of production potential, stock losses and treatment costs. Additionally, it goes without saying that AGD has serious animal welfare implications. In recent years, AGD has started to emerge in salmon farming operations worldwide, causing significant stock losses. This presents a unique opportunity for the Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon industry to conduct collaborative research with our international counterparts to speed up our understanding of N. perurans and investigate alternative treatment options.

By visiting the Northern Hemisphere in March, the participants had the opportunity to influence the direction of the research and investigations for the upcoming Northern Hemisphere summer which will hopefully be beneficial to the Tasmanian industry. Discussions were held with technical experts from Scotland, Ireland and the USA. In total, eight farms were visited in Scotland and Ireland.