Abstract
Disinfection is an integral component of establishing effective biosecurity, through preventing pathogen introduction and transmission within and between aquaculture facilities. Nonetheless, there is a lack of documentation on aquaculture facility disinfection practices and strategies, thereby posing a challenge to benchmarking the current status and to determining optimal approaches. To gain a contemporary insight in this area, an internet-hosted survey was conducted for selected Atlantic salmon recirculation aquaculture (RAS) facilities in Norway (NO) and North America (NA, i.e., USA and Canada). The survey focused on the disinfection of materials and equipment in a RAS facility, and did not cover water disinfection. A total of nine facilities in NO and 16 in NA participated in the survey, which was conducted between Q2 and Q4 of 2018. Most of the responding facilities had standardised disinfection protocols (NO: 6/9; NA: 15/16); however, many respondents disclosed that their protocols had not been experimentally validated. The age of disinfection protocols was between 4 and 10 years old, with the majority of respondents regularly performing protocol appraisals. More than 80% of the facilities in both regions reported a compliance rate of 90–100%. Survey results indicated that peracetic acid-based disinfectants are the most commonly used chemicals in NO, while chlorine is predominant in NA. These disinfectants are used for the tanks and pipelines, floor, and ancillary equipment. In NO, the three topmost criteria when selecting a disinfectant were efficacy against pathogens, user safety, and ease of application. While efficacy and user safety are also prioritised in NA, it was also reported that threats of toxic residuals are also highly considered. Only one facility in NO and five in NA experienced a disease outbreak in the last 5 years. The survey responses presented the current state of aquaculture disinfection of representative land-based RAS facilities in both regions, and this information will be valuable in future benchmarking to develop robust and comprehensive disinfection strategies in salmon aquaculture.
Highlights
The global world population is increasing at a dramatic rate, and this entails greater food needs
This is the first initiative of its kind to profile the status of disinfection strategies in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facilities, thereby offering contemporary perspectives on the practices and approaches that are vital in streamlining the disinfection protocols that are adaptive to the current trends of both regions
Six out of the nine (66.7%) surveyed facilities in Norway responded that they had standardised disinfection protocols in-place; a standardised disinfection protocol is defined as a set of disinfection guidelines, either general or targeted, that are routinely followed in the facility
Summary
The global world population is increasing at a dramatic rate, and this entails greater food needs. Despite having a consensus among producers on the importance of disinfection and several published recommended guidelines (Fiskeridepartementet, 2008; OIE, 2003; Yanong and Erlacher-Reid, 2012), there is a lack of documentation on the current status of disinfection strategies in aquaculture This is relevant in Atlantic salmon aquaculture, in which production technologies have advanced significantly in recent years (Terjesen et al, 2013; Ytrestøyl et al, 2020). In Norway, are intensifying production by adapting recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technologies during the land-phase of the production cycle, which is a significant shift from traditional flow-through or partial water reuse systems These changes require a reassessment of current disinfection practices, as it will allow benchmarking and streamlining of protocols that are adaptive to the present demands of the systems and production practices. It is anticipated that survey results will inform the centre in identifying research avenues that are responsive to present knowledge gaps
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