Five hundred laminated posters that provide a durable, quick reference guide to approved drugs for use in aquaculture in the United States are now available, free of charge, from the Service's Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Parternship program.

Public and private aquaculture in the United States has struggled for many years because of a severe shortage of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs and therapeutants for use in aquatic species.  Currently, only a handful of drugs are approved for use in aquatic species, and use of these compounds is restricted to only certain species and life stages.  Improved health and fitness of released animals serves not only to conserve valuable aquatic resources, but also to enhance overall ecosystem diversity and fitness.

The Service’s Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership (AADAP) program was established within the Service’s National Fish Hatchery System to ensure continued progress towards obtaining FDA-approved and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-compliant new animal drug approvals for use in Federal, State, Tribal, and private aquaculture programs throughout the United States.  The AADAP program, located in Bozeman, Mont., provides the means to assist all aquatic animal culturists meet their animal disease management needs.  The AADAP staff coordinates efforts to generate data, analyze results, compile final study reports, disseminate information and data, and manage all other aspects of requisite data submissions to the FDA in support of new animal drug approvals for aquatic species.

To better serve the needs of aquatic animal culturists, AADAP program staff recently developed a publication titled “A Quick Reference Guide to Approved Drugs for Use in Aquaculture.”  Produced in cooperation with the Fish Culture and Fish Health Sections of the American Fisheries Society, 500 copies of this guide to the proper use of nine approved drugs were recently printed as one-page posters (34” width x 24” height) by the Service’s National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in La Crosse, Wis.  Following lamination to increase durability in wet environments, the AADAP program will make this informative poster available to anyone requesting a copy, free of charge, while supplies last. 

To request a laminated copy of this poster, contact Niccole Lawson (406-994-9913; niccole_lawson@fws.gov).  This poster publication will also be available to download and print from the “Drug-use/Guidance” page at the AADAP Internet website (http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/aadap/home.htm) in the near future.