Monitoring emerging diseases of fish and shellfish using electronic sources

Area of Science:

• Aquatic Animal Health
• Disease Ecology
• Fisheries Science

Background:

• Emerging aquatic animal diseases pose significant threats to aquaculture sustainability and wild fish stocks.
• Global aquaculture and fisheries face economic and environmental challenges from novel pathogens and disease outbreaks.
• Understanding disease emergence is crucial for safeguarding aquatic ecosystems and food security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To track global occurrences of emerging aquatic animal diseases over an 8-year period.
• To identify and provide advanced warning of disease threats to UK wild and farmed fish.
• To analyze patterns and drivers of aquatic disease emergence worldwide.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of electronic information sources (newsletters, alerts, news releases).
• Database established to log details of 250 emerging disease events across 52 countries.
• Analysis of disease types, hosts, geographic distribution, and reporting trends.

Main Results:

• Recorded 250 emerging disease events, including 14 new diseases and 16 known diseases in new species.
• Viruses (55%) and parasites (24%) were the most common agents; known diseases in new locations were prevalent.
• Emerging diseases disproportionately affected salmonids (33%), farmed populations (62%), Europe, and North America (80%).

Conclusions:

• Global surveillance effectively identifies emerging aquatic animal diseases, aiding risk assessment.
• Disparities in reporting suggest potential under-recognition in some regions due to surveillance gaps.
• Findings highlight the need for enhanced monitoring to mitigate impacts on global aquaculture and wild fisheries.