Once again the spectre of notifiable diseases looms over us, but this time for some less than expected species.
Tailpiece
ARE ZEBRA DANIOS facing an uncertain hobby future? It certainly looks that way, given recent revelations. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous fishes in the industry has been put under the regulatory microscope, and things aren’t looking good.
A recent report by the Ornamental Aquatics Trade Association (OATA) draws attention to a government announcement that it intends to ‘widen the range of fish species identified as being a vector for, or susceptible to, notifiable diseases,’ and therefore ‘plans to add more species to the GB susceptible and vector species (SVS) lists.’ Prominent in that list sits (amongst a few other interesting names) the trusty zebra danio, Danio rerio, which means that by default, so too will its leopard danio variant.
So, what’s the problem? It turns out that zebras are susceptible to two notifiable diseases: viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) and spring viraemia of carp (SVC). The first of these, if it gets into UK waters, can seriously affect the likes of rainbow trout (so the fish farming industry would obviously be worried about this), as well as brown trout, pike and grayling. The second, as the name suggests, can hit common and ornamental carp, as well as goldfish, bream, grass carp and wels catfish. Again, the carp industry is no small player in the UK, despite, bizarrely, the carp itself being a non-native species that was introduced here in the Middle Ages. Either way, it’s safe to say the angling community will be watching proceedings closely.
What does a listing for zebra danios look like? That’s hard to say because it’s all still a work in progress, but it would almost certainly include certification from exporters, conducted by an official inspector, to show that the fish have originated from a disease-free region (and with wild fish, to show that they have been quarantined appropriately).
That sounds fair, but there’s still going to be a knock-on effect. To wit, certification won’t be free, and so there’s likely to be an increased cost passed down the line to the consum
