Arkansas Certified Commercial Bait and Ornamental Fish Program: A Method to Negate Disease Impacts On Wild Fish

In the United States, fish farms in Arkansas produce over 6 billion baitfish annually. These farms provide a reliable source of a few known species of fish that are already widely distributed. Fish are raised under controlled conditions in levee ponds, using groundwater. However, the farmed product must compete with wild-caught baitfish, and increasing concern has been voiced by many state and federal regulators regarding shipments of wild baitfish and their potential to spread exotic diseases. Farm raised baitfish producers in Arkansas believed they had a product that was superior to wild bait, but realized that verification was needed. In 2005, the Arkansas Bait and Ornamental Fish Growers Association worked with the state lawmakers to authorize a comprehensive certification program that included fish disease, aquatic nuisance species, and farm biosecurity. This law provided for the State of Arkansas to set standards for participation in the certification program, inspect farms and farm records, evaluate biosecurity plans, and to oversee fish health inspection protocols. The certification program is fee-based, and farmers must also pay for veterinary supervision of sample collection and laboratory fees. More than 95% of all Arkansas bait and ornamental fish production acreage is undergoing the inspections needed for participation in this voluntary program. Fish Health Specialists at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff worked with the industry and the State to develop details of the bait and ornamental fish certification program and to provide the needed training for farmers and Arkansas Department of Agriculture Inspectors. Additionally, the Fish Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), an approved USDA/ APHIS laboratory for inspections of fish for export, provides laboratory testing.  The Arkansas Certified Commercial Bait and Ornamental Fish program provides assurances that products from participating fish farms are free of listed pathogens.  This program serves as a model for other state and national programs designed to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases.