Training study tour on health management, disease diagnosis and treatment of cultured species in IORA Region for aquaculture sustainable development

As the aquaculture sector evolves from an artisanal venture to a semi or highly specialised bio-industry, diseases and health management become a major risk.

The general lack of basic disease prevention and health management knowledge has driven farmers to the injudicious use of antibiotics. These practices are a threat to public health and, moreover, further compromise sustainable production due to microbial resistance issues. Although research is steadily making progress in understanding aquatic health issues and proper remedies are gradually being developed, a vast majority of farmers and specialists, especially in developing countries, still have little awareness of or access to this knowledge.

There is need for an improved fish health management strategy to prevent fish diseases and to support the sustainable development and management of the aquaculture sector. Implementing good biosecurity does not only limit disease occurrence but will also support product quality, farm productivity, trade (especially for aquatic animal seeds), and profitability. The impact of climate change may also have health and diseases consequences on the farmed species.

In view of improving of addressing these overgrowing issues, the IORA Fisheries Support Unit (FSU), based in Oman, and the Foreign Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman, in collaboration with the IORA Secretariat are hosting the Training study tour on health management, disease diagnosis and treatment of cultured species in IORA Region for aquaculture sustainable development on 22-26 October 2023 in Oman.

The proposed study tour will contribute to the implementation of Objective 3 of the Work Plan of the Working Group on the Blue Economy (WGBE) on "Promoting sustainable aquaculture development” more specifically under Activity 3.7 on “Design of a training programme on health management, disease diagnosis and treatment of cultured species in IORA Region”. The general objective of the training study tour is to build upon and reinforce existing knowledge on sustainable aquaculture development through knowledge sharing. The focus is to provide technicians in the IORA Member States with a broader understanding of how to apply and implement good practices to improve aquaculture production in their respective countries. The training will be conducted over a period of 5 days to allow adequate coverage of the subject areas and ample time to engage in practical demonstrations and site visits to illustrate the theoretical aspects learnt in the lectures.