Overview of Aquatic Animal Diseases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Abstract

Andaman and Nicobar Islands are pristine in nature and blessed with a variety of species diversity in general as well as aquatic resources in specific. The three facets of aquatic environment namely, freshwater, brackishwater and marine resources are not fully tapped to the potential and therefore have further scope for improvement. At present, only freshwater carp farming is being practiced in the Bay Islands while brackishwater aquaculture and mariculture are the identified areas for development. Diseases are the major constraints for the development in aquaculture sector. The present study reviews the work carried out till date on the disease aspects of aquatic animals. Abdominal dropsy from freshwater fishes, pop-eye disease, trematode and cestode infestations from marine fishes, White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and luminescent vibriosis from crustaceans and necrotic patches, yellow spot disease, pink line syndrome, white line syndrome, white plague, black band disease, tissue lesion, ring line syndrome and abnormal growth from corals have been reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is interesting to find that the pathogens like virus, bacteria, fungi and parasites were reported from these aquatic animals in the Island ecosystem. This is in contrast to our perception considering the virgin status of the Island. The scanty information available at present on the aquatic animal diseases itself has listed out all the possible diseases which would serve as a base for further studies in future. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to carry out a systematic study on the aquatic animal diseases of Bay Islands. Early detection of the diseases and rapid response to the identified diseases are critical for the effective management of aquatic animal disease emergencies in the Island ecosystem.