15 Health management

Channel catfish health management begins with creating and maintaining a proper living environment for the fish. Good management also includes the design and operation of a production facility that minimizes the impact of stress on the fish. To promote health and minimize stress, fish should be provided with their basic needs: sufficient space, good water quality, a nutritionally complete diet, limited physical disturbance, protection from predators, and prudent handling. Once these needs are met, it is important to limit contact with disease-causing agents and to prevent environmental deterioration. Even in well-designed and properly managed facilities, it is not uncommon for diseases to occur. Once a disease outbreak ensues, effective health management requires three basic steps: problem identification, diagnosis, and corrective management—all of which must be performed in a timely manner to avoid further losses. Whenever multiple factors contribute to the disease process, it makes the diagnosis more difficult and often complicates corrective management. Many fish health problems, such as oxygen depletions, can be recognized and corrected by the fish culturist on the pond bank. This chapter discusses factors affecting the disease process in catfish and steps that can be taken to diagnose disease problems. The chapter provides an overview of the various options for managing infectious diseases. Several specific management procedures for the important catfish diseases are also discussed.