Aquaculture & Fisheries

Aquatic Diseases & Immunity

Aquatic animals, like terrestrial animals and humans, can be affected by infectious diseases, which may be caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and parasites. Infection and disease in aquatic animals is normal, but can become severe under certain conditions. It is important that aquatic animal diseases are identified early to protect the sustainability of commercial and recreational fisheries, the productivity of aquaculture industries, access to international markets for Australian seafood industries, and aquatic environments.Such conditions can include the introduction of new diseases to a population; or conditions that promote disease, such as host animal stress.

Some of common aquatic diseases are:

Sea Star Wasting Disease.

Coral Diseases.

Viral Diseases of Wild Fish.

Amphibian Diseases.

Invasive Species & Disease.

Withering Syndrome of Abalone.

Sea Turtle Diseases.

Energy reserves and nutrition are important factors are affecting not only the survival and growth of organisms, but also the recruitment of species, so in that way they are key factors affecting the structure of marine ecosystems. The Fish Nutrition program focuses on understanding the sources of energetic and essential nutrients, investigation of the nutritional requirements of fish and shellfishexamination of the physiological and biochemical changes affecting nutritional requirements that occur in different life stages of fish and shellfish. Laboratory staff and students are currently using cellular and molecular methodologies employed in biomedical research to gain an understanding in the mechanisms important to fish health