National legislation in Great Britain for the control of fish diseases

The Diseases of Fish Act 1937 of Great Britain is almost certainly the longest-standing example of national legislation specifically devised to control fish diseases. It was introduced in response to several outbreaks of furunculosis disease in wild salmon and other fish species in the rivers of England, Wales and Scotland, which were attributed to the importation of infected live rainbow trout from Germany. The Act totally prohibited the importation of live salmonids into Great Britain, and made it illegal to import salmonid ova and all live freshwater fish species without a licence. The Act also provided powers for authorised persons to enter onto any land to confiscate any fish, ova, foodstuff or articles suspected to have been illegally imported into Great Britain. Moreover, the Act enabled any disease to be designated as 'notifiable', meaning that even the suspicion of its presence in any waters must be reported to the official services. This legislation was eventually amended and extended by the Diseases of Fish Act 1983 to make it a legal requirement for all fish-farming businesses to become registered with the official services, and to maintain records of the movement of fish and fish ova into and from their sites. In 1986, additional powers were introduced under the Animal Health Act 1981 to limit the importation of dead, ungutted salmonid fish. In 1993, the legislation was amended to remove any legal conflict with European Economic Community Council Directive 91/67/EEC. In addition, the Diseases of Fish (Control) Regulations have since been passed so that new European Union rules for the control of infectious salmon anaemia, viral haemorrhagic septicaemia and infectious haematopoietic necrosis may be enforced nationally.