Fishery scientists and experts from India and the United Kingdom have called for an Indo-UK partnership to achieve One Health Aquaculture concept in India. One Health Aquaculture approach implies achieving optimal health of the people, aquatic animals and plants, and the environment.

Throwing light on the concept at an Indo-UK joint workshop, experts said that while focusing on boosting production to meet growing seafood demand, it was equally important to improve the health of all involved in the value chain of the aquatic food sector.

The workshop was jointly organised by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) of the UK government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

Funded by the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) of the UK Government’s Blue Planet Fund, the meeting also called for an Indo-UK partnership to facilitate research collaboration helping to improve safe and sustainable aquaculture production in India. This would help to support the adoption of sustainable seafood practices, reducing the risk of negative impacts from unsustainable activities and subsequently improving the livelihoods, environments, and economies of the country.

Integration of aquatic food system

Sally Taylor from the British High Commission said a higher level UK-India One Health partnership would set the stage for the integration of the aquatic food system to One Health concept thereby addressing emerging realities and concerns at a global level.

A Gopalakrishnan, CMFRI Director, said there are mechanisms that orient Indian aquaculture towards the One Health paradigm such as National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD), Indian Network for Fisheries and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR), All India Network Project on Fish Health, Consortia Research Platform on Vaccine and Diagnostics, etc. However, he underscored the need for creating a national-level agency to coordinate such different fragmented efforts.

Referring to the increased disease risks involved in aquaculture, C Ramachandran, CMFRI Principal Scientist said the need of the hour to appoint aqua doctors to prevent abuse of chemicals like antibiotics in aquaculture. “Collaborative R&D efforts are required for revival and market integration of traditional fish farming systems such as pokkali farming under the One Health platform”, he said.

The workshop also suggested novel initiatives like block-chain enabled tracking of fish production from farm to table as it helps improve the quality of the produce. In order to inculcate one health concept in India’s aquatic food sector, policy interventions for dissemination and management of genetically improved varieties and restricting use of drugs in human health and medicines used for veterinary, agriculture and aquaculture, it suggested.

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