Section 2 | Fish Health Management

Preparing for Environmental Events

Source: ACER Consulting Ltd.

Cedar Crest is a river-fed flow-through facility, drawing water from a tributary of the Saugeen River. There is no practical way to filter incoming water, therefore during times of high disease challenge, the farm has to be ready. Excessive rain and wet weather present such a challenge, bringing higher disease challenges into the flow-through tanks (particularly columnaris disease).

When rain is in the forecast, the Cedar Crest team plans ahead:

• Stocking densities are adjusted to reduce group stress
• Auxiliary systems are activated to increase oxygen concentrations
• Cold water is pumped into tanks from underground wells to reduce stress
• Tanks receive preemptive treatments (e.g. Chloramine-T) to reduce bacterial levels in the water
  • It is important to note that bacteria can develop resistance  to non-antimicrobial products as well; speak with your veterinarian on proper use of products for bacterial control

Source: ACER Consulting Ltd.