Fish Health Management on the Farm: The Importance of Effective Disease Monitoring

摘要

Effective on-farm disease monitoring is essential to assess the effectiveness of preventive disease management practices enacted by the farmer. In addition, timely recognition of a potential nealth problem is vital for the effective planning and initiation of a specific treatment regime. Consequendy, this article focuses on the key elements in the disease monitoring process, as out-ined in Figure 1. The initiator of a more indepth investigation is typically altered behavior on stock and/or an increase in mortality rates. Subsequent investigations normally consist of water quality sampling, on-site examination of the stock and specialist pathological analysis. By amalgamating the information obtained from these diverse sources, the final steps in the mentoring process involve diagnosing the condition, treating it, and if necessary modifying current management practices. Each of these steps is discussed separately.