Disease management is one of the most significant determining factors in successful sea bass farming. In intensive aquaculture systems where monoculture or polyculture of fish species are grown at high densities pathogens are easily transmitted between individual fish.
Biosecurity techniques such as isolation, sterilization, and sanitation, and the use of symbiotic, disease-free broodstock, and high-quality feed are instrumental in the mitigation of disease transmission.
The use of Antibiotics increases the likelihood of pathogens developing drug resistance, rendering therapy unproductive and transferring resistant strains to other bacteria and accumulation of antibiotic residues into feed. Vaccination is the most eco sustainable and practical strategy for preventing disease outbreaks. However commercial vaccine development for the sea bass sector is still in the initial stage.
Researchers should focus on novel strategies based on emerging technological advancements such as nano sensor, image-based machine learning technique, surface drone for early bacterial disease detection, and phytochemical drugs as an alternative to antibiotics
Disease management of sea bass at the farming level
• At the farming level disease outbreaks are directly linked with
the interactions between the host, the ecosystem, and microorganisms.
• Stressful situations, such as net transfers, recent handling, or low water quality, frequently result in disease epidemics.
• Diseases are frequently caused by infectious agents found in the
culture conditions, the Vibrio species parasite Trichodina spp. including or the parasite Trichodina spp.
• Feeding, culture conditions, and farming procedures all have an impact on the health and immunological system of the fish host
• Fish health management measures should be implemented at different phases in the culture of sea bass to reduce epidemics
Hatchery
• Aquaculture farms have seen fewer cases of potbelly disease (PBD) since they reduced the number of fish in their tanks and cleaned them more thoroughly.
• By lowering the number of fish per unit of water volume and keeping the environment clean and healthy, the chance of PBD breakouts and the bad effects on fish health and growth that come with them can be reduced.
• A decrease in stocking density and stringent sanitary measures resulted in fewer cases of potbelly disease.
• Lower stocking densities may be linked to lower disease outbreaks due to reduced horizontal transmission.
• Dead fish should be removed from rearing tanks daily to help lower the load of highly contaminated substances and thus reduce disease transmission
• During the hatchery phase, weaning fry from a live diet to an artificial pellet is crucial.
• Micro diets usually ease out the transition from live to inert feed and reduce weaning related mortalities.
• The use of immunostimulants to improve immunity and, thus resistance to diseases in young fry can be beneficial
• Supplements are currently incorporated throughout many commercial fish feeds, as they were shown to maintain a balanced gut microbiome and then combat potentially pathogenic microorganisms
• This has grown fairly popular in hatcheries, with some farms even adding probiotics to the culture water T. maritimum was shown to be more viable in sterile seawater than in natural seawater, implying that the natural microbial community in natural seawater may help keep this bacterium in account
• Antibiotics with intracellular actions, such as florfenicol, have shown to be effective in treating PBD on some farms.
• Thus for effective disease prevention and to avoid the emergence of antibiotic resistance, treatment must be preceded by correct laboratory disease identification.
• Vaccination is effective in controlling bacterial and other infectious diseases in experimental studies.
Blogger:
Dr. Sathish Prasad
Senior Scientist – Aquatic Animal Health
Growel Innovation Center,
RS NO.57, Chevuru Village, Sriharipuram Panchayat, Mudinepalli Mandal, Krishna District – Andhra Pradesh India – 521329
Email: [email protected]