| dc.description.abstract | Although tilapia culture in cage fish farming systems in Uganda presents a steady rise in growth
the entire sector is a subject to the different emerging tilapiine diseases and pathogens which
have so far been reported at different fish farms by farmers and researchers to cause significant
stock depreciation through increased fish mortalities arising from disease and pathogen
infestation to the cultured stocks. Currently, with the increased intensification, production and
commercialization of the fish culture systems, there have markedly been increased concerns of
rampant disease outbreaks among cultured tilapiine stocks pertaining the outbreak and
emergence of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases as well as parasite infestation which has
hindered investment, thus curtailing unimpeded production and extension of the sector. Despite
the conducive tropical climate that favors fish farming in the tropics, limited, if any, focus has
been invested as regards fish health and the subsequent biosecurity programs meant to protect
fish from contracting infections therefore inferring increased disease infestation and hindered
sector growth. Attention as pertains fish health and biosecurity measures have long been focused
on the indirect modes of disease and pathogen transmission (transfer of infectious agents from
reservoirs to the fish hosts by inanimate objects [e.g., vehicles and PPE], or animate
intermediaries). Despite the practice of such measures to combat disease infestation onto the
farmed stocks, the prevalence of diseases and pathogens is persistent thus farmers and
researchers have still reported increased cases of disease outbreak among farmed fish stocks.
However, the design, construction and positioning of the cages systems in water bodies infers to
easily permit the interaction of wild and farmed fish stocks thus facilitating direct transmission of
disease pathogens and parasites from the wild to the farmed fish stocks or vice versa. The results
of this study validated that wild fish populations lied in proximities of fish cages and are capable
of transmitting infectious agents to farmed tilapiine stocks or vice versa. Therefore, besides the
indirect modes of transfer of infectious agents that are affirmed to attribute to the rampant
disease prevalence amongst farmed tilapiines, the results of this study call for further
interventions by researchers and farmers as regards prevention of direct disease and pathogen
transfer modes between wild and farmed tilapiines. Finally, the review contains suggestions for
future research that will fill gaps needed to effectively prevent, manage and combat rampant
disease incidences on fish farms. | en_US |
