28th ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP April 21-25, 2003 Fish Health Problems In Virginia: A Decade Of Casework Martin David Crosby Virginia State University, Post Office Box 9081, Petersburg, VA 23806 An overview of fish health problems in Virginia is based on ten years of casework submitted to the Virginia State University (VSU) Fish Health Diagnostic Laboratory. The Fish Health Laboratory is part of the VSU Cooperative Extension Aquaculture Program to facilitate economic development of the aquaculture industry in Virginia. Since the lab openned in 1993, 337 cases have been submitted averaging 33 cases per year. Generally, the fish health laboratory staff works with limited resource farmers raising catfish and trout in cages. Laboratory personnel assist these farmers with their diagnostic and treatment concerns and also provide information on culture techniques and water quality. In recent years, the focus of the laboratory has shifted to meet the emerging tilapia production in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). The diagnostic laboratory started to offer routine checks for potential parasitic infestations and inspections of facilities for specific pathogens such as Streptococcus to meet the growing fish health concerns that these production facilities faced.  Since 1996, the Fish Health Diagnostic Laboratory has done 57 of these inspections without isolating Streptococcus from tilapia. As part of the inspection protocols, the tilapia were checked for external parasites. Ichthyobodo was the most prevalent protozoan parasite found on tilapia during the inspection of RAS facilities. Ichthyobodo was found 25% to 60% of the time. However, the Fish Health Laboratory has recovered Streptococcus from tilapia in facilities experiencing mortalities. Since 1997, about 50% of all casework received at the diagnostic laboratory came from RAS in Virginia. Over the course of 10 years, the laboratory has identified Enteric Septicemia of Catfish, Proliferate Gill Disease and Streptococcus in Virginia. In addition, during that time the lab has examined a variety of different species including summer flounder, American eel and African frogs. Return to 28th Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop Return to Leetown Science Center Home Page