28th ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP
April 21-25, 2003
Adapting To Spring Viremia Of Carp Virus In
North America: A Silver Lining?
Andrew E. Goodwin
Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, University
of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
1200 N. University Dr., Mail Slot 4912,
Pine Bluff, AR 71601
For over 100 years,
fish health management in the United Sstates has emphasized the prevention and
control of trout and salmon diseases, making the tacit assumption that
pathogens of warmwater species are of lower importance. With the discovery of Spring Viremia of Carp
Virus in the U.S., wildlife agencies and fish farmers have been faced with an
international biological and bureaucratic disaster of a scale equal to the
worst of those experienced with salmonids.
Wildlife agencies face a host of new concerns including the impact of
Spring Viremia of Carp virus (SVCv) on endangered cyprinids, disease control
methods that may affect sportfishing, new difficulties in obtaining forage for
pisciverous species, and the hazards posed by wild-caught baitfish. With only the European experience as our
guide, it was difficult to predict the eventual impact of SVCv on the wild fish
of North America. State and federal
wildlife agencies have responded with plans to investigate species
susceptibility and SVCv distribution. In commercial aquaculture, the arrival of
SVCv has caused a more immediate upheaval. Fish farmers are faced with a
serious new pathogen, severe marketing problems (limitations on fish movements
and nervous clientele), and a new level of government intrusion including the
possibility of quarantine. The most
proactive response to the challenges posed by SVCv has come from the
$75,000,000/year American cyprinid fish farming industry. The Arkansas Bait and Ornamental Fish
Growers Association (ABOFGA) has adopted a plan designed to prevent the
introduction of SVCv into their industry and to assure their customers that
their product is safe. This plan included
significant pathogens (including SVCv) and aquatic nuisance species. Remarkably, the beginning steps of the plan
were initiated in the fall of 2002 when the majority of the cyprinid fish
production acreage in Arkansas was inspected for SVCv under APHIS-approved
protocols. The complete plan was
presented to the ABOFGA membership at their annual meeting in January of 2003
for formal implementation. There is
also a new and heightened awareness of biosecurity issues in other aquaculture
industries including commercial catfish where strategies to reduce farm-to-farm
transfer of disease are under development.
In the long run, increased biosecurity in warmwater aquaculture will
have a beneficial effect on the industry and its clientele.
