Integrated Pathogen Management Strategies in Fish Farming

Abstract

Integrated pathogen management (IPM) is a holistic approach that gathers the best available preventative, treatment, and control strategies to minimize the impact of pathogens in fish production, while striving to increase sustainability. These strategies do not necessarily aim to eradicate pathogens; more likely, they are methods to keep them at levels at which they cause relatively little impact on fish welfare and overall farm production and therefore minimize economic losses. The development of IPM strategies starts by gathering knowledge on pathogen, host, and environmental risk factors. This is followed by the development, evaluation of feasibility, and implementation of the best strategies. Monitoring of the disease (pathogen surveillance, host performance, and impact on environment) is crucial to review the effectiveness of the applied strategies and revise them, based on the knowledge gained. A broad range of approaches (the IPMS toolbox), with examples for specific pathogens, and future perspectives are presented.