Discussion

Productivity, sustainability and economic viability of the global finfish and shellfish aquaculture industry are threatened by obligate and opportunistic parasites. The impact of these pathogens can often be significant if appropriate control measures are not taken promptly. Calculating the impact of parasitic diseases in aquaculture is challenging and most of the time the result is an underestimation, since costs may be affected by a range of environmental and management factors. The current study attempts to estimate the potential global economic costs attributable to a range of key parasite pathogens using a number of specific parasite-associated events recorded for the world’s major marine, brackish and freshwater aquaculture production industries. This provides a baseline resource for risk assessment and the development of more robust biosecurity practices. Such developments can, in turn, help to mitigate against and / or minimise the potential impacts of parasite-mediated disease in aquaculture.