Gyrodactylus salaris

Arthur Griffiths MRCVS

Chair of Task Force

Gyrodactylus salaris

• What is it?

• Where is it?

• Resilience

• Risk Factors

• What action can be taken?

Gyrodactylus salaris

• WHAT IS IT?

Notifiable Disease of salmonids

Fluke feeding on gills and skin

Highly fecund parasite

EXOTIC to Scotland

Allows secondary bacterial infections

Gyrodactylus salaris

• WHERE IS IT?

• Norway

• Northern Russia

• Western Sweden

• Northern Finland

• Status of Western Europe is unclear

Gyrodactylus salaris

• HOW RESILIENT IS GS?

• Survives 5-7 days off host

• Killed by freezing, high temperatures, desiccation and seawater

• Multiplies on salmon, rainbow trout and char

• Uses many other species for transport

• Rapidly finds new hosts.

Gyrodactylus salaris

• RISK FACTORS

• Movements and imports of live fish and ova

• Movements of people and equipment

Gyrodactylus salaris

• WHAT CAN BE DONE IF GS OCCURS?• Nothing

• Containment

• Eradication

• Prevention

Gyrodactylus salaris

• DO NOTHING

• Probably loose up to 98% of salmon

• Catchment income slashed

• Risk infecting other catchments

Gyrodactylus salaris

• CONTAINMENT• Movement controls• Fish passes• Fish Farms• Surveillance• Cleansing and disinfection• Water transfers • Leisure pursuits

Gyrodactylus salaris

• ERADICATION

Apply all containment measures

Rotenone

Aluminium sulphate

Restocking

Gyrodactylus salaris

• TASK FORCE

• Set up June 2005

• To report by 31 March 2006

• Preparation of Contingency Plan

Gyrodactylus salaris

• ISSUES IN PREPARING CONTINGENCY PLAN

• Prevention

• Identification, Research and Information

• Legal Issues

• Gene banking

Gyrodactylus salaris

• GS CONTINGENCY PLANSEERAD & Industries preparednessFramework for responseSEERADEnforcement BodiesFisheries InterestsCommercial Water UsersLeisure Pursuits

Gyrodactylus salaris

• MAIN ISSUES COVERED• Disease response• Legislation• Management structures• Roles and responsibilities• Criteria for containment and eradication• Operations Manual • Communications Strategy• Stakeholders• Resource provision

Gyrodactylus salaris

• KEY MESSAGES

• Prevention is better than cure

• Disease will be costly and damaging

• Biosecurity is a MUST

• Keeping control depends on EVERYBODY doing their bit.