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Fish and shellfish health and disease control

Note: information on licensing requirements and Environment Agency responsibilities concerning freshwater fish are available from the efishbusiness website, in the "Forms and Guidance" section.

Latest news

22 May 2009 - The Consultation on Aquatic Animal Health – KHV Disease status for England and Wales was launched today

1 May 2009 - Confirmed Designations within England and Wales

14 April 2008 - Contingency plan published for combating Gyrodactylus salaris in England

15 February 2008: Confirmation of oyster parasite in north Kent
A Notice has been issued under the Fish Health Regulations, 1997, controlling the movement of molluscan shellfish from the north Kent coast, following confirmation of the presence of the parasite Bonamia ostreae in a bed of native oysters.

31 October 2007: Proposal to make Koi Herpes Virus a notifiable disease
In October 2006, we consulted on different approaches to disease control, which would underpin the notifiable status.

Fish and shellfish health and disease control

Policies on fish health matters are largely determined by the EU's fish health regime, implemented in Great Britain by the Fish Health Regulations 1997 and the Diseases of Fish (Control) Regulations 1994 (as amended).

The key features of the regime are:

  • controls on fish movements within the EU based on certification at the farm of origin
  • protection of areas with a high health status, with zones established where it can be shown that an area is free of a particular disease
  • movements into disease free zones made only from zones or farms of equal status

The Department takes the lead for the UK in negotiations on fish health matters within the EU. Together with the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), we are responsible, through the Fish Health Inspectorate based at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), for the implementation and enforcement of fish health policy in England and Wales.

Information on the requirements for importing live fish and shellfish into the UK from the EU and third countries can be found in our booklets entitled A guide to importing fish and A guide to shellfish health controls (publications are being updated).

The registration of Fish Farming and Shellfish Farming Businesses Order 1985 (as amended) requires every person in the fish or shellfish farming business to register with the Department. Registered farms are required to keep records of all movements of fish and shellfish to as well as from sites as well as a record of mortalities. These records must be kept for four years and must be made available for inspection by any person authorised by the Secretary of State.

Contingency plan for combating Gyrodactylus salaris in England

Gyrodactylus salaris (Gs) is a parasite that has the potential to cause widespread losses in wild Atlantic salmon. As such it is a listed notifiable disease. This contingency plan sets out how we would deal with an outbreak of Gs in England, and has been developed with the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) laboratory in Weymouth, and the Environment Agency (EA). The plan forms part of a comprehensive package of plans covering all of the UK, which is intended to protect the country’s valuable salmon stocks from this potentially devastating disease. Separate but parallel contingency plans are being produced for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Booklet and leaflets

Further information on the various fish and shellfish diseases can be found in the booklet Combating fish disease.

Defra has recently updated a series of leaflets as part of its ongoing "Keep Fish Disease Out" campaign. Aimed at anglers, and other fishing interests, these leaflets warn of the dangers certain serious and notifiable diseases pose to freshwater fish, and offer practical advice on how to reduce the risk of diseases either entering or spreading within the UK. The latest publications are:

Food hygiene

Responsibility for fish and shellfish hygiene issues falls under the remit of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Contact

If you require any further information on any of the above matters please contact us at:

Ian Everett
Aquatic Animal Health Unit
Defra
Area 5D
17 Smith Square
London, SW1P 3JR
Tel: 020 7238 5110
Fax: 020 7238 2460
E-mail: fishhealth@defra.gsi.gov.uk

For further information on licensing requirements and Environment Agency responsibilities concerning freshwater fish, see the efishbusiness website.

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Page last modified: 27 May 2009
Page published: 16 June 2003