Biosecurity and the ornamental fish trade: A stakeholder perspective in England

Wood, Louisa E.; Guilder, James; Brennan, Marnie L.; Birland, Nicola J; Taleti, Virginia; Stinton, Nicholas; Taylor, Nick G. H.; Thrush, Mark A.

Abstract

The freshwater and marine ornamental fish industry is a primary route of hazard introduction and emergence, including aquatic animal diseases and non-native species. Prevention measures are key to reducing the risk of hazard incursion and establishment, but there is currently little understanding of the biosecurity practices and hazard responses implemented at post-border stages of the ornamental fish supply chain. This study addresses this knowledge gap, using questionnaires to collate information on actual biosecurity behaviours and hazard responses practised by ornamental fish retailers and hobbyist communities in England. Actual behaviours varied considerably within retailers and hobbyists, suggesting that reliance on preventative practices by individuals in the post-border stages of the ornamental fish supply chain is likely to be ineffective in minimizing the risk of hazard incursion and establishment. Resources should be allocated towards improving and enforcing robust pre- and at-border control measures, such as risk-based surveillance of ornamental fish imports at border controls. In addition, these findings should be used to implement targeted awareness-raising campaigns and help create directed training on biosecurity practices for individuals involved in the post-border stages of the ornamental supply chain.

Citation

Wood, L. E., Guilder, J., Brennan, M. L., Birland, N. J., Taleti, V., Stinton, N., Taylor, N. G. H., & Thrush, M. A. (2022). Biosecurity and the ornamental fish trade: A stakeholder perspective in England. Journal of Fish Biology, 100(2), 352-365. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14928

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 14, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Oct 26, 2021
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Dec 23, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Fish Biology
• Print ISSN: 0022-1112
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-8649
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 100
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 352-365
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14928
• Keywords: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7057439
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.14928
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Wood, L. E., Guilder, J., Brennan, M. L., Birland, N. J., Taleti, V., Stinton, N., Taylor, N. G. H., & Thrush, M. A. (2022). Biosecurity and the ornamental fish trade: A stakeholder perspective in England. Journal of Fish Biology, 100( 2), 352– 365, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14928. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.