Update of the Tasmanian Pacific Oysters Health Surveillance Program & Biosecurity Planning - Ellard
1. Update of the Tasmanian Pacific
Oyster Health Surveillance Program
&
Biosecurity Planning
October 2013
Presented by Kevin Ellard
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
2. Current Program: Objectives
Objectives remain unchanged from previous year, these
being:
•detection and diagnosis of infectious disease within Pacific
oyster production in Tasmania and
•demonstrate freedom of disease, or order to
•enable market access
•provide justification for State border restrictions
•provide a basic level of assurance regarding the health
status of seed stock
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
3. Current Program: Structure
• Attempts to focus on clinically affected stock
• Prioritize for submissions from poorly performing or sick
stock
• Active collection of stock by DPIPWE during summer
and second 6 month period
• Sampling for OsHV-1 during 2010/11
• Assess necessary epidemiological information
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
4. Current Program: Personnel
The current team
•Graeme Knowles, Veterinary Pathologist
•Teresa Wilson, Molecular Biologist, PCR testing
•Belinda Jones, Technical Officer Lab
•Rob Chandler, Stock Officer, Field
•Kevin Ellard, Veterinary Officer, Program Coordination
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
5. Zone
Eastern
Northern
Sub-zone
description
Georges Bay
Little Swanport
Coles Bay
Subtotal
Smithton
Port Sorell
King Island
Sub-total
Southern
Channel
Dover
Sub-total
South East Dunalley
Pipeclay
Pittwater
Sub-total
TOTAL NUMBER OYSTER
TESTED
Number Tested
Histopathology
131
30
25
186
35
5
OsHV-1 PCR
140
30
25
195
35
5
30
30
70
75
20
95
137
99
30
266
70
75
20
95
137
99
30
266
617
Zone
626
Hatchery ID
Number tested
Histopatho
logy
South
East
120
Hatchery 2
East
Hatchery 1
120
Hatchery 3
120
TOTAL NUMBER
SPAT
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
OsH
V-1
PCR
360
9
9
6. All oysters tested negative
for the following exotic
agents:
•iridovirus,
•marteiliosis,
•bonamiosis,
•haplosporidiosis,
•perkinsiosis,
•nocardiosis,
•herpesvirus or
•microsporidiosis.
All oysters negative for
OsHV-1
• Protozoan commensal
organisms, were recorded a
number of submissions,
perticularly over summer
• Cases investigated negative for
infectious causes
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
8. Program achievements
• All sampling and testing targets met
• Establishment of OsHV-1 testing at Mt Pleasant
• Annual report prepared for TORC
• 2013/14 Program submitted to TORC for consideration
• Summary of previous 5 year testing provided to TORC
• All outstanding laboratory reports completed
• Aim to complete outstanding Program reports by end
2013
• Began biosecurity planning
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
9. Future Objectives
• To get better representation of clinically affected
oysters
• To obtain establish recognition of the program with
NSW, and other, authorities
• To incorporate the surveillance program into an
industry biosecurity program
• Review data collected as part of sampling, ‘trends’
• Identify high risk points in the surveillance chain, and
incorporate these into the program
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
10. Biosecurity
“Surveillance activities undertaken without
adequate biosecurity measures are only valid
up to the day samples were taken, thereafter
the data starts to become questionable”
Discussion Paper provided to industry Feb 2013:
Proposed implementation of an integrated biosecurity
program for the Tasmanian Pacific industry.
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
11. Abalone Biosecurity Program
• Large project involving wild fishery, processor and
farm sectors, plus multiple divisions of DPIPWE
Currently working with salmon industry to develop similar
program
• Incorporates and recognizes measures already taken,
not reinventing the wheel
• Does not have to be complicated
• Is a way for industry to have a say
• DAFF funding
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
12. Principles of Biosecurity
for Aquatic Industries
B
oxes, wooden boats & water
tanks
Kevin Ellard
DPIPWE Animal Health & Welfare Branch
Department of Primary Industries Parks Water & Environment
13. Pathways of introduction
• Infected animals
• Infected biological material
• Contaminated water, including
aerosols. (Esp. water with high organic loads)
• Contaminated feed
• Infected equipment
• Transfer via personnel moving
between compartments
• Transfer via pests/scavengers
14. Pathways of introduction
Conclusion:
‘Pathways that place high levels of
viable pathogens in close contact
with a susceptible host species are
most likely to result in infectious
disease’
15. Biosecurity Plans
• Procedural rather than
philosophical
• Identify biosecurity risks
• Document management
procedures
• Should be accompanied by
a series of SOP’s
• Plans may be at the State,
industry or enterprise level
(or all)
Want to talk about the general principles and concepts of biosecurity.
As a fairly basic person I like to break issues down to basic principles and models
Hopefully it will be of benefit to you also
