NSW DPI fish vet creates interest

Wollongbar-based fish veterinarian Matt Landos created a lot of interest at the Australian Veterinary Association annual conference on the Gold Coast last week.

While the majority of sessions at the conference were about farm and domestic animals like cattle, horses, dogs and cats, presentations about fish attracted an increasing number of veterinarians.

Mr Landos, a NSW Department of Primary Industries fish veterinarian, co-ordinated the aquatic animal health section at the conference with support from other interstate fish veterinarians.

“It was only the third time fish had been on the program and there is definitely an increasing interest among veterinarians,” he said.

“Ornamental fish, aquaculture production industries and wild fisheries all benefit from the improvement in animal health, supplied through input from aquatic animal veterinarians.

“And all veterinarians can help the DPI in its role of surveillance for exotic and emerging diseases that may impact on aquaculture development or the management of the sustainable recreational and commercial fisheries.”

Mr Landos said grass roots veterinary science is required to underpin the development and growth of a range of established and new aquaculture industries, including fish, prawns and oysters.

“Across Australia, many aquaculture pioneers are farming native Australian aquatic species in a variety of aquaculture systems for food production,” he said.

“Novel species under intensive farming conditions often manifest a range of disease conditions not previously described, making for an exciting field of veterinary endeavour.

“For one such embryonic industry, silver perch, NSW DPI has been undertaking targeted research to try and identify and solve fish health issues affecting production of this tasty native species in earthern ponds.”

Mr Landos said there was a tremendous skill overlap from “traditional” veterinary species to those required for aquatic animals.

“The issues of food safety, animal welfare and responsible use of pharmaceuticals such as antimicrobials, are just as relevant and important as in other species,” he said.

“There is also a role for all practising veterinarians in surveillance for exotic diseases.

“Simply recognising the clinical signs of sickness in fish and knowing who to alert is the first step towards safeguarding the aquatic production animal industries and wild aquatic environments in Australia.”

Media contact: Phil Bevan, NSW DPI, Wollongbar (02) 6626 1350.