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Station
Facts
- Established: 1989.
- The lab has the capability
to provide state-of-the-art fish disease diagnostic and fish health
certification services to a variety of national fish hatcheries, state
fish hatcheries and private fish farms.
- Triploid grass carp certification
inspections are also provided to private fish farmers in the 10 southeastern
states.
- The fish health section
includes virology, bacteriology, and parasitology labs and water chemistry
and fish sample preparation labs.
- The staff includes three
biologists, one biological technican and one veterinary medical officer
at Warm Springs and a triploid certification inspector located at Stuttgart,
Arkansas.
- Operations budget: FY04
-- $423,120.
Geographic Area Covered
The 10 states of the Southeast Region. Station
Goals
- Provide service, expertise
and information that contributes to the health, survival, enhancement,
restoration, and recovery of fish and other aquatic species in support
of national and regional priorities.
- Supports hatchery operations
to provide quality fish that contribute to ecosystem objectives.
- Assists in the development
of management strategies through assessment and applied research to
support the protection of wild stocks and recovery of threatened and
endangered species.
- Educates key audiences about
the elements of comprehensive fish health and its critical significance
to healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Services Provided To
- Federal agencies including
other Fish and Wildlife Service program offices.
- State agencies.
- Native American Tribes.
- Military bases.
- Universities.
- Non-governmental organizations
(NGO’s).
- The public.
Activity Highlights
National Wild Fish Health Survey— Service Regional Fish Health Centers
have been mandated to establish and maintain a National Fish Disease Database.
This database is to be a comprehensive survey of the health of wild fish
populations throughout the United States. The information gathered by
the Fish Health Centers will be available to all interested parties on
the Internet. Public
Use Opportunities
- Environmental education
and public outreach opportunities to visitors, school groups and various
other organizations.
- Beautiful surroundings and
natural environment.
- Endangered shortnose sturgeon
display for off-site presentations.
- Co-located at the Warm Springs
National Fish Hatchery.
Calendar of Events
February:
Fish-a-Rama, Atlanta and Perry, GA.
June: Youth Fishing
Event.
Questions
and Answers
What is a Fish Health Center?
The Fish and Wildlife
Service has several fish health centers that provide service, expertise
and information supporting the Service’s mission to promote and protect
aquatic animal health. Fish health center personnel must apply the knowledge
of several diverse scientific disciplines including fish biology, microbiology,
epidemiology, toxicology, pathology, physiology, histology, and genetics.
How do fish get sick?
Fish, like all animals, may suffer from environmental, nutritional
and infectious diseases. Organisms such as parasites, bacteria and viruses
are pathogens capable of causing disease in cultured and wild populations
of fish. Poor nutrition and water quality can also cause disease under
stressful conditions.
Why a National Wild Fish Survey?
The most important weapon needed to control or prevent fish
diseases is knowledge. Currently, there is very little information about
the relationship between presence of pathogens in wild fish and its likelihood
of producing disease in either wild or hatchery reared fish. Valuable
stocks of fish are at risk because of our lack of knowledge about the
distribution of pathogens and parasites in wild fish.
What kind of sampling is used in the survey?
Sampling will involve collecting
tissue samples to screen for certain bacteria, viruses and parasites
that may pose a risk to fish health.
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