Health Management of Recirculated Aqua Facilities

Successful aquaculture requires practical and sustainable production methods. The challenge is to develop profitable and sustainable culture facilities which will implement advanced technologies while minimizing adverse environmental effects. This increasing concern regarding environmental effects represents one of many motivations that have driven the interest of the aquaculture industry to examine alternatives to traditional methods of intensive aquaculture.

Recirculating aquaculture systems can be defined as an aquaculture system that incorporates the treatment and reuse of water with less than 10% of total water volume replaced per day. Recirculating Aquaculture System offer fish producers a variety of important advantages over open pond culture. These include maximizing production on a limited supply of water and land, nearly complete environmental control to maximize fish growth year-round, the flexibility to locate production facilities near large markets, complete and convenient harvesting, and quick and effective disease control.

Indoor recirculating aquaculture systems have minimal environmental effects due to their minimal flow of water (and effluents) to the surrounding environment. Due to the nature and design of Indoor recirculating aquaculture systems, they can allow safe introduction of non- native species which can be grown in proximity to the market, without the costs and environmental pollution associated with the importation & aerial transport of such products. Production of aquatic species in close proximity to markets allows longer shelf life and better quality of the product. Biosecurity measures in Indoor recirculating aquaculture systems and the segregation of these systems from open environments represent an important barrier the introduction of disease into the culture system.

However, once introduced, recirculating systems provide an optimal environment for propagation and clinical expression of disease-causing organisms. There are a number of reasons for this including suboptimal environmental parameters, (ammonia, nitrite, pH, oxygen, suspended solids, etc.) continues stress response and various levels of immune – suppression of the fish populations, very high densities, very high loads of organic matter and accumulation of pathogens in the various components of the production system, tanks, pipes, mechanical and biological filtration systems.

This presentation describes in detail the specific veterinary management tools and measures for successful disease prevention and optimization of growth performance in recirculated culture systems.