AQUAPLAN Newsletter June 2009

In this biannual update on AQUAPLAN 2005-2010:

• Disease identification field guide
• Benefits of Emergency Aquatic Animal Disease Response Agreement (EAADRA)
• Quarantine and biosecurity review
• Additions to The National List
• Transition of AAHC to AHC
• Recent disease events

Contact Details

Aquatic Animal Health
Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer
Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
PO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601

Switchboard: (02) 6272 3933
Fax: (02) 6272 3150
Email: AAH

AQUAPLAN 2005-2010 is Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Aquatic Animal Health. The plan is a joint governmentindustry initiative that was launched in July 2005 to build on the progress of AQUAPLAN 1998-2003. The plan aims to maximise Australia’s ability to control aquatic animal disease outbreaks, maintain market access, support quality assurance and improve the productivity and sustainability of Australia’s aquatic animal production industries.

AQUAPLAN is in its final years of implementation and is due for completion in June 2010. The Aquatic Animal Health Committee (AAHC), at its June 2008 meeting, considered the progress of AQUAPLAN projects and agreed that resources should be applied to the implementation of specific remaining high priority projects. The identified projects include:

• development of formal arrangements between governments and industry on the response to emergency aquatic animal disease incidents
  
• development of a sciencebased national policy for the translocation of aquatic animals and their products for use as recreational and commercial fishing bait
  
• development and implementation of a national strategy for education and training in the aquatic animal health sector
  
• arrangements for further development of the Australian Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory Network, including ongoing proficiency testing for Australia’s aquatic animal diagnostic laboratories
  
• further development and implementation of the National Abalone Health Workplan.

AQUAPLAN Manuals

Objective 2 of AQUAPLAN Strategy 3, aims to ensure the scientific and technical accuracy of AQUAVETPLAN.

AQUAVETPLAN is a series of technical response plans that describe the proposed Australian approach to an aquatic emergency animal disease (EAD) event. These response plans provide background information and guidance on how to respond to a disease outbreak in Australia. AQUAVETPLAN is based on the Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan (AUSVETPLAN) series for terrestrial animal diseases. These disease strategy manuals provide tools for aquatic and terrestrial animal health professionals to respond efficiently to EADs. Operational procedures manuals address important procedural issues and complement the disease strategy manuals.

AQUAVETPLAN manuals are revised every five years to maintain their currency and ensure that new developments or knowledge are incorporated. Decisions on which manuals are to be written or updated are made by AAHC which includes state, commonwealth and industry representatives. All manuals and revisions undergo a rigorous review and endorsement process to ensure that they are practical, accurate and useful.

Comprehensive reviews of four existing AQUAVETPLAN manuals commenced in 2007. They are: the furunculosis disease strategy manual; the control centres management manual; and the operational procedures manuals for destruction and for disposal. The four revised manuals will be published in 2009 following endorsement and editorial processes. New disease strategy manuals are under development for abalone viral ganglioneuritis (AVG) and piscirickettsiosis (commissioned in 2007 and 2008 respectively), and routine revision of the enterprise manual was initiated in 2008. Australia’s Primary Industries Standing Committee endorsed a new disease strategy manual for infectious salmon anaemia in 2008.

Copies of the published AQUAVETPLAN manuals are available on the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) website at: http://www.daff.gov.au/animalplant-health/aquatic/aquavetplan

Release of The Third Edition of The Aquatic Animal Diseases Significant to Australia: Identification Field Guide

The Aquatic animal diseases significant to Australia: Identification field guide is an integral part of the awareness resources within AQUAVETPLAN (AQUAPLAN Strategy 3 Objective 2). The third, revised edition of the field guide comprehensively updates information on diseases listed in the second edition, and includes new information on diseases that have been added to Australia’s National List of Reportable Diseases of Aquatic Animals since publication of the second edition in 2004. The field guide also provides information on exotic diseases with potential to damage Australia’s fisheries and/or aquaculture.

The field guide aims to improve the ability to identify diseases of significance to aquaculture and fisheries in Australia. It provides fisheries and aquaculture managers, recreational fishers, border protection staff, environmentalists and students of aquatic animal health with a reference guide to develop knowledge and support decisions on diseases which may impact on aquatic animal health and survival. The field guide is produced in an interactive CD-ROM format and includes print friendly fact sheets. Copies of the CD can be obtained by contacting DAFF’s Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer at AAH

Alternatively, the field guide is available on the DAFF website at: http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-planthealth/pests-diseases-weeds/aquatic_animal_diseases_significant_to_australia_identification_field_guide

Promoting Awareness

AQUAPLAN Strategy 5 Objective 2 aims to increase awareness of aquatic animal disease risks in the general community and at the industry level. In 2008, two awareness resources were released nationally. The ‘Don’t hesitate— investigate’ material aimed to raise awareness of the role that aquarium fish can play in spreading aquatic animal diseases. The material was distributed nationally, including to ornamental fish distributors, veterinary clinics and government authorities. Awareness information was developed on the risks of nodavirus to finfish aquaculture and the application of appropriate biosecurity practices in hatcheries. This material, developed in consultation with industry, will assist to limit the impacts of this pathogen on finfish aquaculture.

Benefits of Emergency Aquatic Animal Disease Response Agreement (EAADRA)

Objective 1 of AQUAPLAN Strategy 3 aims to agree on an approach to the establishment of an aquatic emergency animal disease response agreement for Australian aquaculture industries.

To date, governments and aquatic animal industries in Australia have not agreed on formal arrangements for responding to disease emergencies. Without such formal arrangements, there is no requirement for an affected jurisdiction to draw up an Emergency Animal Disease Response Plan, no national requirement for an industry to develop and abide by biosecurity plans, and no guarantee that the costs to control a disease outbreak will be shared. To progress this issue, AAHC has established an Emergency Aquatic Animal Disease Response Arrangements Working Group (the working group) in January 2008. The working group aims to determine how national arrangements for managing emergency aquatic animal disease incidents could be improved between aquatic industries (including aquaculture and fisheries) and governments (including public good and environmental components) using the abalone industry as model. The working group members are from the Australian Government (DAFF), state governments with abalone industries and abalone industry sectors (including abalone fisheries and abalone culture).

The benefits of adopting formal emergency aquatic animal disease response arrangements include:

• nationally consistent responses to disease emergencies
  
• opportunity for industry participation in decision making (e.g. through the Aquatic Consultative Committee for Emergency Animal Diseases)
  
• increased disease awareness and improved emergency preparedness
  
• reduction in the overall risk that diseases pose to industries, governments and the environment
  
• increased certainty for all affected parties on actions to be taken in the event of an emergency
  
• sharing of costs associated with a response.

Quarantine and Biosecurity Review (Beale Review)

On 19 February 2008, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry announced a comprehensive, independent review of Australia’s quarantine and biosecurity systems.

The Quarantine and Biosecurity Review chaired by Roger Beale AO assessed the operations of DAFF, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) and Biosecurity Australia (BA), to provide recommendations on current systems; public communication, consultation and research; the adequacy of resourcing; and governance and institutional arrangements.

The review panel held 170 meetings with domestic and international stakeholders and received more than 200 submissions. A final report entitled “One Biosecurity: a working partnership” was presented to the minister at the end of September 2008. The report makes 84 recommendations.

Key recommendations relevant to aquatic animal health sector include:

• Recommendation 25: All animal, plant and aquatic industries should commit to sharing the responsibility and costs of pest and disease response actions, with those who are not signatories to the relevant cost sharing agreement meeting their share of a response, possibly by way of levy to recover costs.
  
  
• Recommendation 26: The membership of Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia should be broadened to encompass environmental pest and disease issues including those affecting the aquatic and terrestrial environments.
  
  
• Recommendation 27b: Industries or sectors that are vulnerable but not covered by Biosecurity Plans (for example, the aquatic wildcatch and aquaculture industries), should be encouraged to develop a Biosecurity Plan”.

Further information on the Quarantine and Biosecurity Review can be obtained from the website http://www.quarantinebiosecurityreview.gov.au/

Changes to Australia's National List of Reportable Diseases of Aquatic Animals (The National List)

The national list is a list of aquatic animal diseases, some exotic to Australia and some occurring in parts of Australia, that forms the basis of Australia’s domestic and international reporting systems for aquatic animal diseases. Since its inception in 1998, the national list has been modified several times using the endorsed alteration strategy. AAHC recently endorsed the inclusion of the following two amphibian diseases to the national list to take effect from 1 January 2009:

• infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; and
  
• infection with ranavirus.

Both of these infections are endemic in amphibians in Australia. From 1 January 2009 the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (DAFF) will report to the OIE on these diseases, based on information provided by Australian States and Territories.

Transition of Aquatic Animal Health Responsibilities From AAHC to the AHC from 1 July 2009

The National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) has decided (30 July 2008 meeting) to disband the AAHC and to transfer aquatic animal health public policy and government decision making to Animal Health Committee (AHC) from 1 July 2009. Under the new institutional arrangements, the National Aquatic Animal Health Technical Working Group (NAAH-TWG) will continue to support aquatic animal health biosecurity issues and report directly to AHC. AAHC will continue to operate fully until 30 June 2009 with NAAH-TWG reporting directly to AAHC until that time.

To ensure a smooth transition, AAHC and AHC have worked together to develop a transition plan.

This plan was considered at the February 2009 meeting of the NBC.

Recent Disease Events

Abalone viral ganglioneuritis (AVG)

In 2008, AVG continued to occur in wild abalone in some parts of Victoria, on the southern coast of Australia. AVG was diagnosed from sick abalone in a Tasmanian processing facility in September 2008. The Tasmanian Government mounted an emergency response following confirmation of the disease in the processing facility and a range of control provisions were implemented. The abalone processing facility was decontaminated and recommenced operations after sentinel animals tested negative for AVG.

Extensive surveillance during September and October 2008 did not find signs of disease in Tasmania. There has only been one positive result using DNA testing for the virus from an abalone caught in the southern D’Entrecasteaux Channel. This shows exposure of the abalone to the virus but does not allow conclusions to be drawn on the nature of the disease in Tasmania. Emergency control provisions have been lifted by Tasmania authorities.

Infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic virus (IHHNV)

Australia’s aquatic animal health status for IHHNV changed in 2008. Testing confirmed that a newly identified strain of the prawn virus IHHNV was present in a small number of black tiger prawns in farms in Queensland. The newly detected strain of IHHNV is very similar to IHHNV strains that occur in the Asian region. Another strain of IHHNV was previously known to be present in Australia; however, the older strain of the virus is quite different from both the strains reported overseas and the newly identified strain. The Aquatic Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases (Aquatic CCEAD) met to consider the testing results and agreed that it was not feasible to undertake a national eradication or control program. The virus was detected at low prevalences and was not associated with disease in farmed prawns in Queensland.

Following consideration of Australia’s changed aquatic animal health status with regard to IHHNV, Biosecurity Australia reviewed the current quarantine measures in relation to IHHNV for the importation of prawns and prawn products and concluded that the requirements for IHHNV should be removed.

Oyster oedema disease (OOD)

Mortalities of pearl oysters due to OOD continued during 2008 on a small number of pearl oyster leases in northern Western Australia. Investigations into the aetiology of the disease are ongoing.

Aquatic OIE Australia Forum

The Aquatic OIE Australia Forum has been established to facilitate Australian stakeholder consultation on draft standards developed by the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission. Registering with the Forum will allow members to access the documents provided by the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission for information or comment purposes.

The Aquatic OIE Forum is open to Australian stakeholders. Registration is available at http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/aquatic/aquatic_animal_forums_registion_for_aquatic_oie_australia_forum

Belly-up Fusetalk Forum

Belly-up is a web based Forum that allows a network of aquatic animal health professionals to communicate with each other on a range of issues. This includes general discussion on current aquatic animal health issues, informing colleagues of current job vacancies and providing information on upcoming conferences.

The forum is open to aquatic animal health professionals only. Registration for Belly-up is available at: http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/aquatic/aquatic_animal_forumsregistration_for_bellyup_fusetalk_forum