International Trade in Aquatic Animals and Aquatic Animal Health: What Lessons Have We Learned So Far in Managing the Risks?

Abstract

Aquatic animals and their products are among the most widely traded commodities where some 40 percent of global production enters the international market. The international trade in aquatic animals and their products are carried out for various reasons. A number of aquatic animal health threats and risks in the international movement of live aquatic animals include the emergence of new pathogens due to the rapid development of aquaculture, limitations in control options for aquatic animal diseases, occurrence of multi-factorial disease syndromes, frequent sub-clinical infections in aquatic animals, undomesticated status of aquatic animals and little information available on biological requirements and health status, etc. In addition to these, because of the volume of live aquatic animals traded internationally, the diversity of species being moved, the many known and potential pathogens that infect aquatic species, the lack and/or weak enforcement of regulations and in other cases, lack of sector regulations itself– it has been a difficult task to find ways that will reduce the risks of spreading transboundary pathogens. This paper looks at the lessons learned and future challenges in managing the risks of disease incursion associated with the international trade of live aquatic animals.