Building a sustainable aquaculture industry in South Africa: the role of biosecurity.

Abstract

Progress towards the South African Government's social upliftment targets on food security, equity, job creation and economic development can be made by diversification of fish production in the country's aquaculture sector. The risks associated with the diseases and parasitic infections that affect aquaculture production in South Africa are poorly understood. Substantial investment is currently being made to provide evidence of freedom from OIE-listed diseases to support an aquaculture industry that is largely reliant on access to foreign markets for high-value aquacultural products. The projected rapid expansion of the aquaculture sector in South Africa accentuates the associated need to prevent the spread of aquatic animal diseases. The primary constraint is that the current regulatory framework governing aquacultural activities is not centralised due to the diversity of aquaculture activities spanning marine, brackish and freshwater environments. An aquaculture development bill was drafted in 2018 to promote aquacultural development. The effective implementation of the provisions of the bill requires resources to ensure that suitable standards for aquatic animal health management are achieved in accordance with international standards and government policies and objectives.