Book Description

The purpose of this Circular article is to inform national policymakers and other stakeholders of issues related to aquatic organism health and aquaculture biosecurity throughout the aquaculture supply and value chains, and to promote more effective collaboration between stakeholders to minimize risks of disease introduction, transmission, spread and associated production losses. [Author] A survey was undertaken to determine country organizational arrangements for managing the health of aquatic organisms and aquaculture biosecurity, including with respect to the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Author] A platform was then developed to inform respective mandates, share experiences and identify areas for collaboration with these matters as a basis for generating recommendations for further development of aquatic organism health and biosecurity systems. [Author] This led to the Fish-Vet Dialogue: Exploring Collaboration on Managing Health of Aquatic Organisms, an event organized by FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI). [Author] Key aspects from the survey and the Fish-Vet Dialogue included: enhancing collaboration by engaging stakeholders and establishing public–private partnerships (PPPs); addressing the wider scope of collaboration, especially the One Health Initiative; scientific collaboration; and transparency in support of biosecurity and trade. [Author] Collaboration across government agencies is the minimum requirement, and policies or regulations are unlikely to succeed unless developed together with stakeholders, through PPPs. [Author] Trust and transparency are also required at all levels of management to support biosecurity and trade. [Author] Furthermore, the One Health approach should be taken to promote regional and international cooperation to improve biosecurity along the aquaculture supply and value chain and reduce the risks of disease outbreaks. [Author] Future actions to be taken include continuing the Fish-Vet Dialogue as a regular event to raise awareness, share experiences and generate collaborative actions to support a sustainable global aquaculture industry. [Author]