October 6, 2010

Norwegian and Canadian aquatic health experts collaborate

The Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at the University of Prince Edward Island and the National Veterinary Institute in Norway have joined forces to establish the world's only OIE Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment of Aquatic Animal Diseases.

OIE Collaborating Centres play a key role in the management of animal health issues and resulting impacts on the health of communities around the world. The centre designation recognises world leadership in aquatic epidemiological research for aquatic food production based at AVC and the National Veterinary Institute (Norway).

"Increasingly, countries around the world are turning to aquatic species as a source of high quality food for their populations," explains Dr Larry Hammell, co-director of the OIE Collaborating Centre, Director of AVC's Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences and Innovation PEI Industry Research Chair in Epidemiology for Aquatic Food Production.

The partnership will solidify even stronger linkages, and develop research and training programmes for other aquatic food producing countries, according to Dr. Edgar Brun, Head of the Epidemiology Section, National Veterinary Institute (Norway) and Co-director of the OIE Collaborating Centre.

Researchers from a range of aquatic health-related disciplines including finfish, mollusc and crustacean field studies will be part of the centre. The centre will focus on evidence-based health management using epidemiology - the study of disease in populations - for aquatic health issues.

It will also provide training for producers and scientists, conduct research involving local veterinarians and producers, and deliver services to the aquaculture industry and governments in areas such as: disease outbreak investigations and risk factor studies, surveillance and diagnostic test evaluation, disease control and clinical field trials, decision-support tools that deliver evidence-based outcomes to all levels of policy makers, training of experts in aquatic epidemiology and evidence-based health management, epidemiological risk assessment.

The establishment of this OIE Collaborating Centre formalises a network of global experts and will greatly increase knowledge and capacity needed to solve health management issues involving aquatic species.

In addition to improving the health of aquatic species, the centre will provide the scientific basis to influence international standards and guide policy decisions at all levels, including groups such as fish farmers, veterinarians, subnational and federal governments.