Economic Costs of Protistan and Metazoan Parasites to Global Mariculture

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269176602 Economic costs of protistan and metazoan parasites to global mariculture Article in Parasitology · January 2015 DOI: 10.1017/S0031182014001437 · Source: PubMed CITATIONS READS 87 1,282 6 authors, including: Andrew P Shinn Jarunan Pratoomyot Fish Vet Group Asia Limited Burapha University 217 PUBLICATIONS 3,070 CITATIONS 26 PUBLICATIONS 712 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE James E Bron Giuseppe Paladini University of Stirling University of Stirling 215 PUBLICATIONS 4,294 CITATIONS 57 PUBLICATIONS 488 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Development of control strategies for francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus View project Ontogeny of osmoregulation in the Nile tilapia View project All content following this page was uploaded by Giuseppe Paladini on 04 February 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE 196 Economic costs of protistan and metazoan parasites to global mariculture A. P. SHINN1,2*, J. PRATOOMYOT3,J.E.BRON2, G. PALADINI2,E.E.BROOKER2 and A. J. BROOKER2 1 Fish Vet Group Asia Limited, 99/386, Chaengwattana Building, Chaengwattana Road, Kwaeng Toongsonghong, Khet Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand 2 Institute of Aquaculture, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK 3 Institute of Marine Science, Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand (Received 4 May 2014; revised 4 July 2014; accepted 6 July 2014) SUMMARY Parasites have a major impact on global finfish and shellfish aquaculture, having significant effects on farm production, sustainability and economic viability. Parasite infections and impacts can, according to pathogen and context, be considered to be either unpredictable/sporadic or predictable/regular. Although both types of infection may result in the loss of stock and incur costs associated with the control and management of infection, predictable infections can also lead to costs associated with prophylaxis and related activities. The estimation of the economic cost of a parasite event is frequently complicated by the complex interplay of numerous factors associated with a specific incident, which may range from direct production losses to downstream socio-economic impacts on livelihoods and satellite industries associated with the primary producer. In this study, we examine the world’s major marine and brackish water aquaculture production industries and provide estimates of the potential economic costs attributable to a range of key parasite pathogens using 498 specific events for the purposes of illustration and estimation of costs. This study provides a baseline resource for risk assessment and the development of more robust biosecurity practices, which can in turn help mitigate against and/or minimise the potential impacts of parasite-mediated disease in aquaculture. Keywords: Aquaculture, production, mortality, finfish, Crustacea, Mollusca, ornamentals, economic cost, review. INTRODUCTION viability. Although robust data can often be generated concerning the general patterns of stock Pre-harvest mortalities in marine aquaculture result loss within a typical production cycle, obtaining from the complex interplay of a broad range of factors accurate figures for the impacts of disease can be that include stock source/genotype, developmental more problematic due to a number of considerations, defects, predation and cannibalism, impaired nutri- which include production scale, available resources, tion, physical damage, sub-optimal/hostile environ- difficulties in making rapid or accurate parasite mental conditions and disease. Economic losses identifications at the farm level and poor record accrue not only from mortalities but also from keeping. The frequent association of disease with impacts on growth and food conversion, post-harvest other pre-disposing factors, such as poor water qual- downgrading or rejection of carcasses and derived ity and the broad variety of precipitating events that products, fish escapes, management decisions that may act to stress the farm population, also means that impact on profitability, e.g. protracted decisions to untangling the impacts of disease from those attribu- treat, grade or harvest, and the costs and effects of table to other causes may be difficult or impossible. particular husbandry and management practices, e.g. Thus, in many cases, the economic impact of parasitic fallowing, grading, vaccination, treatment and stock diseases can only be estimated. handling. Parasite-induced impacts in marine aquaculture can Parasitic diseases attributable to obligate or oppor- be divided into two broad categories: unpredictable/ tunistic eukaryotic pathogens continue to have a sporadic and predictable/regular. For both, there may major impact on global finfish and shellfish aqua- be costs in treating and managing infections once culture, and in many regions they represent a key established, but for predictable infections there will constraint to production, sustainability and economic also be costs associated with prophylactic treatment/ management. For example, the management costs associated with controlling infections of caligid * Corresponding author: Fish Vet Group Asia Limited, 99/386, Chaengwattana Building, Moo 2, Chaengwattana copepods, e.g. Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus Road, Kwaeng Tungsonghong, Khet Laksi, Bangkok spp. in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) can 10210, Thailand. E-mail: andy.shinn@fishvetgroup.com largely be predicted within a production cycle as Parasitology (2015), 142, 196–270. © Cambridge University Press 2014 doi:10.1017/S0031182014001437 Economic costs of parasites to global mariculture 197 these parasites pose a perennial threat to captive full magnitude of the downstream socio-economic reared stocks. The infection dynamics of these species effects of major disease events on the livelihoods and are well understood, and they can be controlled associated industries centred around primary produ- through the employment of an integrated pest cers. While insurance claims may provide some management strategy (IPMS) involving the use of a guidance as to losses, these may be overinflated, broad range of management tools in addition to direct based on ‘best price’ or on an estimated loss of trade/ treatment intervention. The global Atlantic salmon income. In addition, the costs of remedial action (e.g. production industry is well established (> 40 years) treatment, disposal and monitoring) and/or changes and can draw upon the long-term, shared experiences to management practices and infrastructure also need of parasite control and management that have led to to be considered. The resilience of the Chilean the development of effective strategies to minimise salmonid aquaculture industry, which rapidly im- mortalities, damage and loss of profit (see Frenzl et al. plemented improved infectious disease control mea- 2013, 2014). For many other new or less-established sures and was able to fall back on well-established industries, however, particularly those restricted to a coho salmon, Oncorynchus kisutch, and rainbow trout small number of production sites, the parasite threats industries (24 and 38% of national salmonid pro- may be largely unknown and emerging, and new duction in 2011, respectively), arguably minimised infections can have a devastating impact. The impact the full potential economic impact of the 2007 crisis of Paramoeba perurans (syn. Neoparamoeba perurans), (Alvial et al. 2012a, b). Although there are a number the causative pathogen of amoebic gill disease of studies that have attempted to estimate the full (AGD), on the early Tasmanian production of economic consequences of parasite infections, both rainbow trout, Oncorynchus mykiss, serves as an through the documentation of a specific disease event appropriate example (Munday et al. 1990). (Roberts et al. 1994; Torgerson and MacPherson, Many parasite infection events are complicated by 2011; Charlier et al. 2012) and through the estimation the complex interplay of numerous factors making of the potential impact of disease introduction it difficult to calculate the precise costs attributable (Paisley et al. 1999; Riddington et al. 2006; Voort to the parasite. The Chilean crash in national salmon van der et al. 2013), the data and resources required to production from 385086 tonnes (t) in 2006 to undertake such studies generally preclude the accu- 230678 t in 2010 (FAO FishStatJ, 2013), for rate estimation of the cost of parasite-associated example, appears to have been multifactorial with impacts. For example, teasing out the role and the the key pathogens involved being ISAv (infectious precise economic impact attributable to parasitic salmon anaemia virus) and the caligid copepod agents, e.g. P. perurans and C. rogercresseyi, from Caligus rogercresseyi. Major contributing factors that due to the other contributing factors leading to included a large number of marine farms in pro- the Chilean 2007 crisis, is a near-impossible task, duction, the high stocking densities employed, a and therefore, the costs can only be speculated upon. concentration of farms within a small area (*40% of For this reason, the economic impact of these the salmon production around Chiloé Island), a lack parasites in the Chilean 2007 crisis, is not included of biosecurity measures, weak disease surveillance, in this

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