Biosecurity Measures and Practices Relevant to Infectious Disease Management at Fish Farms in Northern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Aquaculture helps to bridge Nigeria's fish supply deficit and thus contributes to national food security. Southwest Nigeria dominates national aquaculture output, but fish farming in northern Nigeria is expanding. Understanding the infectious disease situation in this burgeoning segment of the sector, including how farmers act to prevent and manage suspected outbreaks, is important to inform implementation of effective practices. This study aimed to describe practices at farms in northern Nigeria, with a focus on those relevant to infectious disease prevention and control. A structured questionnaire was administered via 1‐h telephone interviews with 45 farmers between September 2021 and February 2022. All participants farmed African catfish ( Clarias spp. and Heterobranchus spp.) and most farms (41/45) produced ≤ 10 tonnes/cycle. Suspected infectious disease cases had occurred at 29/45 farms in the past 2 years and were reported to have caused mortalities in most cases (23/29). Self‐medication with antimicrobials was common, with tetracyclines the most frequently applied agents. Products containing neomycin, streptomycin, furaltadone, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin, erythromycin, colistin, amoxicillin and gentamicin were also used, and 22/45 participants applied antibiotics for disease prevention purposes. There was variation in biosecurity practices at the farms, with between two and 12 positive practices implemented, such as quarantining of new stocks (10/45 participants). Infectious diseases are a threat to aquaculture production in northern Nigeria, but information concerning outbreaks and the practices in place to prevent and manage suspected cases is scarce. This study is the first to collect data on farm biosecurity and disease management practices across a large area of northern Nigeria, which provides potential opportunities towards enhancement once the infectious diseases have been characterised, and this may ultimately support sector growth.