Aquaculture Biosecurity

Several chickens pecking in a grassy area
A pig walking down an alleyway
Several cows standing in a field

The tools found on this website were developed to help land-based aquaculture farms and hatcheries identify and reduce pathogen transmission risks to improve farm biosecurity and the health of farmed aquatic animals. A fully-customizable biosecurity plan template is available to help you get started.

Why Biosecurity is Important for Aquaculture Farms and Hatcheries

  • Infectious diseases are a constant management challenge and economic threat for land-based aquaculture farms and hatcheries.
  • Biosecurity – actions taken to prevent the introduction and spread of disease and respond to disease outbreaks – is a critical part of any aquatic animal health management plan.
  • Each farm is unique, and so are its risks for infectious diseases.

An Introduction to Aquaculture Biosecurity

Learn about the impact of infectious diseases and how biosecurity measures can prevent, reduce, or help manage disease risks for land-based aquaculture operations.

pdfManaging and Preventing Disease on Your Farm Factsheet

Steps to Get Started

More Biosecurity Resources

Pathogen Transmission Pathways Tip Sheets and Videos

These short handouts and videos overview how infectious pathogens can enter or spread on land-based aquaculture farms and hatcheries and biosecurity practices that can disrupt their transmission pathways. There are six potential pathogen transmission pathways.

Aquaculture Biosecurity Forms and Signs

Coming soon!

Aquaculture Biosecurity Resources from Additional Sources

National Aquaculture Association

·      Farm Biosecurity

Southern Regional Aquaculture Center

·      Biosecurity in Aquaculture, Part 1: An Overview

·      Biosecurity in Aquaculture, Part 2: Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

·      Biosecurity in Aquaculture, Part 3: Ponds

Shellfish Biosecurity

·      Regional Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Program

U.S. Department of Agriculture

·      Aquaculture Health

·      Homegrown Aquaculture

·      National Aquaculture Health Plan & Standards

·      Comprehensive Aquaculture Health Program Standards

Aquaculture Biosecurity Resources in Spanish

Coming soon!