APHIS – VS is involved in several activities related to the health of aquatic animals. Those activities can generally be divided into two overarching components:
These two complementary aspects of the program ensure that diseases notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) will be reported and appropriate control measures can be enacted.
Accredited veterinarians have a vital role in certifying documents based on information gathered from farm inspections, onsite sample collections and laboratory submissions. In many cases, aquatic animal health management is provided by accredited veterinarians for a variety of aquaculture commodities including the tropical and ornamental fish, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, and aquatic reptiles.