Newsletter July 2008

In this newsletter:

• Aquatic Animal
  Health Education
  Strategy Workshop
• Status of Aquatic
  Animal Diseases
• National Emergency
  Aquatic Animal
  Disease Response
  Arrangements
• Meet the new AAHC Chair

AQUAPLAN 2005-2010 implementation update table now available

The Aquatic Animal Health Committee has endorsed an implementation table that collates the information provided by stakeholders during the annual review of AQUAPLAN 2005-2010 projects.

AQUAPLAN has now passed its halfway mark. Significant progress has been reported and several projects have been completed. However, much work remains to be completed. The table provides priority ratings for specific projects and an indication of the future actions required for their implementation.

The table is available at: http://www.daff.gov.au/animalplant- health/aquatic/aquaplan

Aquatic animal health education strategy workshop.

AQUAPLAN Strategy 4 addresses education and training in the aquatic animal health sector. Consistent with the objectives of Strategy 4, the Aquatic Animal Health Program of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) hosted a workshop on 3 April 2008 with the National Aquatic Animal Health Technical Working Group (NAAH-TWG) and other aquatic animal health professionals to discuss improvements for aquatic animal health training in Australia.

There is ongoing concern that there are too few suitably trained and accredited aquatic animal health professionals to service Australia’s fisheries and aquaculture industries and to ensure succession to a new generation of aquatic animal health professionals. The recent FRDC Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram project “Current and future needs for aquatic animal health training and for systems for merit-based accreditation and competency assessments” explored these issues and produced a number of broad recommendations to enhance the standard of aquatic animal health training in Australia. This 3 April workshop aimed to build on the work of this FRDC project by identifying high priority needs and specific proposals to address those needs.

A working group will be formed under the auspices of NAAHTWG to progress these proposals aimed at improving aquatic animal health education and training in Australia.

Belly-Up Forum

The ‘Belly-Up’ Forum is back up and running after a recent upgrade. 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. Registrationfor Belly-Up is available at: https://www.daff.gov.au/animalplant- health/aquatic/ registration_ for_bellyup_fusetalk_forum.

Status of aquatic animal diseases

Abalone viral ganglioneuritis (AVG)

AVG, the disease affecting abalone in parts of western Victoria, was liminated from farmed abalone in 2006 but continues to be reported in wild abalone and is now considered endemic in western Victoria along 200 km of coast.

Scientists have successfully sequenced the genome of the virus that is thought to be the causative agent of AVG. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation has funded this continuing research as a collaborative endeavour between the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory and Primary Industries Research Victoria.

The research has confirmed that the virus is a unique strain that has previously never been sequenced anywhere in the world.

Scientists are continuing to investigate characteristics of the virus and develop a diagnostic test which will allow authorities to test wild populations for the virus to determine the extent of its presence. Several useful primers (pieces of nucleic acid used as the starting point of DNA replication) have been identified for the development of a molecular diagnostic test. Work is underway to validate the test and bring it into operation.

Oyster oedema disease (OOD)

The Western Australian Government along with industry, and other governments, are continuing to monitor and manage OOD which was first reported in late 2006 affecting oyster farms in the Exmouth Gulf. Only the oyster Pinctada maxima was found to be affected while other shellfish, including P. margaritifera (black pearl oysters), remain unaffected.

The cause of OOD has not been identified; however, an infectious agent, possibly a virus, is suspected.

The disease is being managed through movement controls and good biosecurity practices. It is believed that host and/or environmental factors influence expression of the disease.

White tail disease (WTD)

The Queensland Chief Veterinary Officer reported the presumptive detection of WTD to the Aquatic Consultative Committee for Emergency Animal Diseases in January 2008. Clinical signs of white (opaque) muscle were seen in adult giant river prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) that were being held at a research facility. The prawns had been collected from the Flinders River in North Queensland.

Testing led to the presumptive diagnosis of WTD, which was later confirmed by further testing at the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory in February 2008.

WTD is caused by Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and is known to affect only giant freshwater prawns. WTD does not affect humans. Based on genetic analysis, this strain could be endemic and have been present in giant river prawns in Australia for a long time frame.

Australia has notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) of this detection in accordance with OIE requirements.

National emergency aquatic animal disease response arrangements

AQUAPLAN Strategy 3 aims to enhance Australia’s aquatic animal emergency disease preparedness and response framework including through agreement on an approach to the establishment of an aquatic animal disease emergency response agreement. Emergency response agreements compris a legal agreement between governments and industries to provide effective mechanisms for managing disease risks. Such agreements may commit signatories to a range of activities such as:

• undertaking surveillance and reporting of disease
• participating and cooperating in emergency disease responses
• maintaining emergency disease response capabilities (including ongoing training of personnel)
• apportioning and sharing the costs associated with an emergency, potentially including compensation for stock destroyed as part of disease control activities.

A working group of the Aquatic Animal Health Committee has been formed to explore how national arrangements for managing emergency aquatic animal disease incidents could be improved. This group aims to prepare a set of mergency aquatic animal disease response arrangement between abalone industries (such as aquaculture and fisheries) and governments (including public good and environmental components). It is hoped that this group’s work can serve as a model for the development of arrangements across other aquaculture sectors.

Membership of the working group includes representatives from NSW, Vic., SA, WA, Tas., the Commonwealth, Abalone Council

Revision of AQUAVETPLAN manuals

Objective 2 of AQUAPLAN Strategy 3 aims to ensure the scientific and technical accuracy of AQUAVETPLAN. AQUAVETPLAN, the Australian Aquatic Veterinary Emergency Plan, is a series of manuals that outline Australia’s approach to national disease preparedness and propose the technical response and control strategies to be activated in a national aquatic animal disease emergency.

A number of AQUAVETPLAN manuals are currently being revised to ensure they continue to provide accurate guidance. They are the disease strategy manuals for furunculosis and infectious salmon anaemia; operational procedures manuals for destruction and disposal; and the management manual for control centres.

The Aquatic Animal Health Committee recently agreed that an AQUAVETPLAN disease strategy manual should be developed for abalone viral ganglioneuritis. This manual will consolidate and add to the growing body of knowledge about this disease.

The AQUAVETPLAN operational procedures manual for decontamination was recently published and is available on the DAFF website.

All current AQUAVETPLAN manuals can be downloaded at:http://www.daff.gov.au/ aquavetplan

AAHC welcomes new Chair

The Aquatic Animal Health Committee (AAHC) recently welcomed Dr Ron Glanville as its new chair. Ron is a long serving officer of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPIF). He has acted in the position of Chief Biosecurity Officer and Chief Veterinary Officer since the formation of Biosecurity Queensland within DPIF on 1 March 2007.

His current duties have a strong focus on biosecurity policy and systems across a wide range of sectors, including plant, animal and aquatic environments. Ron's work includes a particular focus on new and emerging biosecurity issues and achieving a balance between prevention, surveillance, preparedness and response to biosecurity threats. Within the aquatic animal health area, Ron believes that there is much to be done to build our capability, especially in terms of the basic scientific knowledge required for us to be able to deal with health issues within that sector.

Previously, Ron occupied a number of positions within DPIF, including General Manager, Animal Biosecurity; Chief Inspector of Stock; Manager, Brucellosis & Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign; Manager, Chemical Residues; Divisional Veterinary Officer, Mount Isa; and veterinary officer at a number of locations.

Career highlights have included: leading the recent successful response to equine influenza in Queensland; leading the implementation of the national livestock identification system in Queensland; active leadership role in eradication of tuberculosis; reform in management of cattle ticks in Queensland; and the development of biosecurity information systems.

Ron undertook Post Graduate Studies in Epidemiology at the University of Melbourne. Ron is a graduate in veterinary science and science at the University of Queensland. AAHC member details

Contact the committee at:

AAHC Secretariat
GPO Box 858
Canberra City ACT 2601
Fax: 02 6272 3372
Phone: 02 6272 5615
E-mail: AquaAHC@daff.gov.au