Abstract
Aquaculture is the fastest food-producing sector in the world, accounting for one-third of global food production. As is the case with all intensive farming systems, increase in infectious diseases has adversely impacted the growth of marine fish farming worldwide. Viral diseases cause high economic losses in marine aquaculture. We provide an overview of the major challenges limiting the control and prevention of viral diseases in marine fish farming, as well as highlight potential solutions. The major challenges include increase in the number of emerging viral diseases, wild reservoirs, migratory species, anthropogenic activities, limitations in diagnostic tools and expertise, transportation of virus contaminated ballast water, and international trade. The proposed solutions to these problems include developing biosecurity policies at global and national levels, implementation of biosecurity measures, vaccine development, use of antiviral drugs and probiotics to combat viral infections, selective breeding of disease-resistant fish, use of improved diagnostic tools, disease surveillance, as well as promoting the use of good husbandry and management practices. A multifaceted approach combining several control strategies would provide more effective long-lasting solutions to reduction in viral infections in marine aquaculture than using a single disease control approach like vaccination alone.
Highlights
Aquaculture, referred to as “underwater agriculture”, is the fastest growing food-producing sector in the world
Viruses isolated from migrating eels include herpesviruses [35], rhabdoviruses [36], and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) [37] which could be transmitted over long distances
Great lakes through ballast water, which resulted in mass mortalities of several fish species. This is supported by Sieracki et al [72], who showed that fish farmed in locations that received ballast water from viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV)-infected sources in the Great Lakes were more likely to become infected. They observed that fish at ports that had the highest number of visits from VHSV-infected areas were more likely to be infected by VHSV, as shown in Montreal, which received the largest amount of ship traffic into the Great Lakes and had the highest rate of VHSV infection compared to other areas [73]
Summary
Aquaculture, referred to as “underwater agriculture”, is the fastest growing food-producing sector in the world. By 2013, it had already overtaken beef and poultry production [1] It contributes one-third of global food production, which includes more than 200 farmed fish species [1]. Similar to other intensive farming systems, the impact of infectious diseases in intensive fish farming has had serious repercussions Among these are viral diseases, most of which cause high economic losses [2,3,4]. Only a few viruses cause diseases in farmed fish linked to high economic losses, rendering these viruses noticeable in most countries. It should be noted, that most pathogenic viruses of fish have been detected in areas around Europe, Americas, and Asia.
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