Report on the Development of Fish Health Management Plans For Alberta Commercial Aquaculture Producers

Final Report

Alberta Aquaculture Association

AIMAP 2011-MA03

Introduction

Alberta commercial fish culturists held discussions with their Provincial government regulators in late 2010, on the topic of compulsory requirements for Fish Health Management Plans. This initiative is likely gaining importance now, because of increasing worldwide public pressure to ensure aquaculture is undertaken in a healthy, safe and environmentally friendly manner. Besides, other Provinces in Canada with major aquaculture industries have made such plans a prerequisite for their licensing. 

The BC Government's Fish Health Management Plans have been in place since 2003. Their FHM Plans detail requirements of maintaining fish health records, monitoring disease and infection and identifying and managing risks to fish health, among other issues. BC Agriculture and Lands Ministry fish health experts audit company records, check the information fish farms provide in their FHM Plans, conduct random on-site inspections and test fish. Every operating farm is checked at least twice a year for compliance. The FHMP Template is also updated annually by the Ministry's fish health veterinarian.

The Ontario Government requires “Best Management Practices for Sustainable Aquaculture in Ontario” for their lake cage culture facilities. These were developed in cooperation with the Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association (NOAA) to demonstrate that aquaculture operations are conducted in full compliance with regulatory requirements, and that its sector works proactively to ensure environmental sustainability.

What is the logic for following this new, more onerous biosecurity standard, called a Fish Health Management Plan? Perhaps, being proactive with their government regulators helps Alberta fish culturists further reduce the probability of fish health concerns, and show that Alberta's Aquaculture Industry believes in “due diligence”. Also, some fish culturists could strengthen their existing markets and gain themselves new market avenues by having a sound FHM Plan.

Implementation of Fish Health Management Plans in Alberta also aligns with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans “Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program” (AIMAP) that has an overall goal to catalyze aquaculture industry investment. Having an approved and quality Alberta Fish Health Management Plan would position Alberta's commercial fish culturists with better market access for their products, due to higher environmental performance, traceability, risk reduction/prevention, and better management practices, through recognition of sustainability, quality and safety.

Fish Health Management Plan Setup

The goal of this project has been to cooperatively assist commercial fish culturists in Alberta to complete an accredited Fish Health Management Plan, following the developed template, as well as a document of “Required Elements” (to help explain each section of the FHM Plan) and a background document on related aspects of certification and marketing. Below is a clear description of the work completed through the hiring of a contract professional.

• Set up a new Alberta Fish Health Management Plan (Template) by modifying the existing Province of British Columbia's Fish Health Management Plan template. This will be used for current Alberta Commercial Fish Culturists and new entrants; and will be made available for use by other inland Prairie Provinces, through AIMAP.

• Coordinate the development of Alberta's Fish Health Management Plan with Alberta Aquaculture Association (AAA), Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, (AARD), Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD), and Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), maintaining close liaison throughout the process.

• Contact each aquaculture farm; visit each farm to observe facility operation and assist each fish culturist with fine-tuning of their individual plan. Coordinate all individual final FHM Plans so that they are completed by end of project.

Financial assistance for this program was obtained through contribution from Federal (DFO), Provincial (AFRD) and local industry (AAA). Current producers and the overall aquaculture industry benefit from this project by having a well organized approach to the required FHM Plans. Future Alberta producers and Canadian aquaculturists will also benefit from this project by having a clear template to follow, to meet their Facility Recognition Program and Fish Health Management Plan obligations.

Results / Discussion

Alberta's template was improvised from the BC Template. The newly created Alberta FHM Plan Template was reviewed in June of 2011 by Government Agencies (federal CFIA, provincial AFRD and ASRD) and Industry (AAA) and generally accepted. Personal visits to each commercial licensed AAA fish culture facility began in early summer, completed by August 2011. It was deemed important and necessary for the project coordinator to meet personally with each producer and assist them with interpreting and completing each section of their own FHM Plan.

By accessing a small amount of Federal and Provincial funding, the AAA was better able to receive buy-in from its members to promptly commence a FHM Plan. This is very important, as Alberta's aquaculturists are small family units, who do mostly small volumes of fish, very often from certified and disease free stock, and often raised in well contained, secure indoor recirculating aquaculture systems. 

Aquaculture industries throughout the world use Health Management Programs to maximize the health of the farmed fish stock and ensure that a healthy clean product is reared in optimum environmental conditions. Health management programs do provide a number of benefits to the industry and individual producers. Some of the potential program benefits are: 

• minimizing risks from disease;
• demonstrating to potential markets, investors and insurers that a quality assurance program is in place;
• allowing certification of broodstock, seed and/or growout stock as free of specific diseases - again allowing improved access to local and external markets;
• satisfying reporting requirements to commonwealth and international agencies that depend on this data to allow continued access to interstate and international markets;
• alerting industry to the introduction of new and exotic diseases and prevent the spread of any exotic or endemic diseases; and
• enhancing public perception of the aquaculture industry, as being proactive in the area of environmental awareness.

It should be noted here that new government laws or requirements are never accepted without question. A number of comments were received from Alberta's licensed commercial fish culturists; worthy of including in this report.

• “Why do I need a Fish Health Management Plan when no other province in Canada requires their small in-land fish farmers to follow such a plan?”

• “Why do I need a Fish Health Management Plan when the Fisheries Branch (ASRD) does not have their fish culture facilities under such a plan yet?”

• “Why do I need a Fish Health Management Plan when all my trout are from approved certified disease free eggs and end up in fish ponds for angling?  The fish I sell have always been healthy!”

• “Fisheries Branch (ASRD) is very quick to put in new restrictions to aquaculture, but when we follow the rules to get a NEW SPECIES approved (such as barramundi), it has resulted in years of stalling. It appears to be a double standard.”

• “Are there no plans to similarly manage tropical fish sales in Alberta? Surely their worldwide origin, disease transmission potential and possible escape to local waters is a greater concern.”

• “The Fish Health Management Plans will be good, as necessary for other confined livestock. It will show buyers that Alberta-grown fish are quality.”

Conclusion

A Fish Health Management Program is essential for successful fish production and husbandry. The components of this program must address the exclusion or control of pathogens, good health practices; and then assembling a contingency or security system that minimizes potential fish losses due to disaster or disease at the fish facility. A successful Fish Health Management Plan requires commitment by management and staff to follow operational policies and procedures, continually assessing those protocols, and modifying them, as necessary.

A good Fish Health Management Plan will protect the business by protecting the fish they raise and the customers. Finally, it should be stressed that each FHM Plan must be tailored to each specific facility. Protocols need to be developed, based upon the disease risks associated with a particular facility or market sector, financial and human resources and facility design limitations. Implementing even basic FHM Plans is better than doing nothing. It is always more expensive to implement biosecurity measures after a major disease or mortality event has occurred.

Alberta's commercial fish culturists now have a completed Fish Health Management Plan for each of its members, and a Template available for new entrants. The updated template will be accessible to aquaculture producers across Canada, in particular, the Prairie Provinces, who may wish to use it for their facility operations.