Seminar to Tackle the Challenges of Managing Fish Health

Farmed CodOptimising fish health is one of the key challenges facing Irish fish farmers today and will be the focus of a Seminar at the Marine Institute, Oranmore on June 11th. The seminar will explore new and emerging threats facing Irish fish farmers today including sea lice, sleeping disease in rainbow trout, Francisella in cod and rhabdovirus infections in perch.

The Fish Health Seminar will also include international speakers outlining current management practices in countries such as England, Scotland and the Faroe Islands and will include overviews of lessons learned in dealing with disease outbreaks such as infectious salmon anaemia (ISA), pancreas disease and viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS).

Organised as part of the AquaPlan project, it will be the first annual Fish Health Seminar in Ireland and part of a National Strategy for Fish Health. The Sea Change funded project aims to increase the level of expertise available in Ireland on fish health issues through a range of initiatives including the production of a Fish Health Handbook, Information leaflets on diseases and biosecurity, and the development of accredited training courses. 

Fish Farmers are more aware than ever of the need to have a fish health management plan in place with the introduction of the Fish Health Directive 2006/88/EC last year which requires all fish farmers to obtain Authorisation from the Marine Institute. The Aquaplan project aims to maximise synergies with the new Fish Health Directive, which came into force in 2008 through the production of information leaflets on diseases and biosecurity and the development of contingency plans for diseases which are not listed under the Directive. 

A full programme for the Seminar will be posted here soon.

To register for the conference email neil.ruane@marine.ie or phone 091 387200.

The seminar is co-sponsored by SkrettingIntervet-Schering Plough Animal Health andPharmaq Ltd. AquaPlan is carried out under the Sea Change strategy with the support of the Marine Institute and the Marine Research Sub-programme of the National Development Plan 2007-2013, co-financed under the European Regional Development Fund.