Aquaculture Research

Aquaculture (i.e., fish farming) is an important source of fish available for human consumption. Over 90% of the US supply of seafood is imported, and over half of the imported seafood is from aquaculture. Further, the growth of the US aquaculture industry has required the development of safe and effective drugs for treating fish diseases, as well as increased regulatory surveillance of aquaculture products. In response to these needs, the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Applied Science, conducts aquaculture research in a state-of-the-art facility. The primary research objectives are designed to answer regulatory questions which assist FDA in assuring that fish derived from aquaculture production environments, whether international or domestic, are safe for human consumption. Additionally, the objectives also improve the regulatory review process for aquaculture products by helping develop new procedures, models, and/or datasets used to evaluate product safety and effectiveness. Research priorities explore the biodistribution, residue persistence, metabolism, effectiveness, and environmental effects of drugs and other chemicals used in aquaculture. Studies include

• Developing disease models to investigate drug effects,
• Pharmacokinetics studies,
• Effectiveness testing,
• Depletion studies of prohibited chemicals,
• Development of methods to test antibiotic susceptibility of aquatic bacteria, and
• Generating tissues incurred with drug residues for development of chemical detection methods.

The aquaculture research program also investigates the effect of drugs on the environment, non-target aquatic species, and the pathogens associated with aquatic species as well as examines the development and transmission of antimicrobial resistance in both pathogens and environmental microbes.

To help identify research gaps regarding drug metabolism, the program also constructed, updates, and currently maintains the Phish Pharm database: a searchable compilation of over 700 articles that include data from 191 aquatic species (fish, shellfish, and more). Phish-Pharm enables users to quickly evaluate what literature is available on drugs and chemicals studied in fish and other aquatic animals. Phish-Pharm contains select records that can be filtered for rapid comparison of  studies with different experimental conditions, such as water temperatures and salinity. The database is intended to be an aid to researchers as well as government and private organizations involved in the drug approval process regarding farmed aquatic animals.

The aquaculture program actively collaborates with scientists at other FDA centers and other outside agencies such as the USDA, domestic and foreign universities, and State animal disease diagnostic laboratories. The program also occasionally hosts college and fourth-year veterinary students interested in aquaculture and conducts hands-on training workshops for veterinarians and animal scientists designed to educate them about aquatic animal research.

Contact for Information

Dr. Charles Gieseker
Research Biologist
Charles.Gieseker@fda.hhs.gov

Figure 1.

Representative fish species included in research at the CVM/OAS Aquaculture Facility. A. Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar; B. Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; C. Hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis nilotica x O. aureus; D. Yellow perch, Perca flavescens; E. Largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides; F. Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss; G. Hybrid striped bass, Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis; H. Goldfish, Carassius auratus. These species represent some of the species currently raised by the US Aquaculture industry.

There are five main rooms in the CVM/OAS Aquaculture Research Facility totaling approximately 5,200 sq. ft., as well as storage, mechanical/filtration, and support rooms. Incoming water from either a well or municipal supply goes into the primary filtration system and is stored in a 25,000 gal. water storage tank. Temperature is controlled by separate heat exchangers and chillers, which provide hot and cold running water to recirculating and flow-through aquaculture systems. Wastewater is sent to either two 20,000 gal. water holding tanks or two 10,000 gal. closed-system wastewater holding tanks.

Figure 2.

Representative holding systems at the CVM/OAS Aquaculture Facility. A. flow through tanks, B. recirculating tank, C. dual recirculating tanks, D. Living Stream system, E. flow through tanks - isolation room.