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Dr. Scott Weber

Forum discussion to include Dr. Scott Weber, VMD, MSc Clinical Faculty in Companion Avian and Exotics at UC Davis Veterinary School and Developing Clinical Fish Medicine Program at Davis about his findings with khv testing.

KHV Testing Sample Submission Forms f'or University of California at Davis Veterinarian School

Submission form 1

Submission form 2

Audio Show "Reducing the Risk for Diseased Fish Purchases"

Dr. Julius Tepper VMD joins Koi Breeding Aquaculturist Joe Pawlak to discuss issues related to khv, and other disease threats, how public policy if formulated, prevention methodologies in play at domestic facilities, and the ethical considerations for the hobbyist, industry, and public policy makers.

Dr. Tepper, is in New England private practice and director-at-large of the World Aquatic Veterinarian Medical Association.Tepper is a noted pioneer in private practice fish medicine and promotes the position that as koi are treated as pets they should be extended more rights.

Joe Pawlak, is a degreed aquaculturist along with his wife who operate several large koi breeding farms in Florida. Joe's background includes extensive work in Japan building large scale koi systems for Japanese koi farmers. Joe's brood stock was imported, but the facility takes in no new fish as a measure of prevention against introduction of disease from outside sources.

APHIS Report: Assessing Infectious Disease Emergence Potential in the U.S.

Cornell University: Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia and Spring Viremia of Carp: Threats to Aquaculture

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Identified In Koi At Cornell Lab

KHV & EUS Animal import legislation to become more restrictive
By Mary Clarke

Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG Sanco) representatives Pedro Rosado Martin and Pierangelo Bernorio addressed the conference on European pet import legislation at Interzoo in Nuremberg, Germany on Saturday to update the pet industry on changes to legislation and the reasons for increased restriction on the pet trade (continued).

Environmentalists sue over fish disease

Practical Fishkeeping

Environmentalists in the United States have started legal proceedings against governmental agencies for doing little to prevent the spread of a disease which is deadly to fish throughout the Great Lakes.

The ‘Save Lake Superior’, ‘Trout Unlimited’ and ‘Izaak Walton League of Duluth and Minnesota’ filed their lawsuit two weeks ago against the US Coastguard, the Department of Agriculture and the health inspectorate as well as other agencies to force them to act to prevent the spread of Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS) into Lake Superior (continued).

KHV In Japanese High End Distribution Chain To U.S. Hobbyists

Nozomi Young
Koi Show Cancellation

It is with deepest regrets that we are announcing the cancellation of the Nozomi Young Koi Show which was scheduled to be held on June
14th 2008 at Pan Intercorp
in Kenmore Washington.

We have just received word from one of our major suppliers in Japan, that Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) has been confirmed in one of their mud ponds.

Pan Intercorp is an industry leader in quarantine, testing and health management protocols, and we take the threat of KHV very seriously.

In view of our close relationship with this breeder and the large number of koi that we have from their farm, we feel that it is only prudent that we re-test all our current inventory for KHV before allowing any koi to enter or leave our Kenmore facility.

We anticipate that re-testing our current inventory from this breeder for Koi Herpes Virus antibodies will take between two to four weeks.

We understand and regret the inconvenience that this cancellation will cause to those who have made travel plans to attend the Nozomi Young Koi Show, but until we can complete the re-testing, we feel that this is the proper action to take.

Pan Intercorp

Points to Note:
-The situations that have occurred in Florida with findings of KHV were not from a domestic source. It is possible the koi found in Florida came from the same source Joel described in his letter.

-Joel notes he already tests his fish and will test them again. Is that necessary? Or is it that Pan Intercorp does random tests and not actually "tests all fish" as some might be led to believe?

-KHV positive koi are in the imported koi distribution system in the U.S. and now a potential source has been identified. How many other khv positive koi may have been distributed throughout the U.S.? If this was a health threat to people wouldn't all the points of distribution from this supplier and their customers be identified to curb the spread?

-How many further points of distribution of carriers of this disease from these incidents occur through club fish auctions, fish rescue redistributions, etc? Is real accountability even desired?

-If Joel at Pan Intercorp is or is not following all the protocols of the proposed AKCA Best Health Practices program it should have some significance as a case study in how the program can best serve the community (continued).

Audio Show New KHV Cases Discussed in AKCA & Industry Forum Forum discussion with AKCA Project KHV Director Spike Cover, Kari Peters of Kari Peters & Sons Koi & Pond Supply, Robert Myers of Shizuka Ponds & Koi, and Dave Jones, excutive director of the International Professional Pond Contractors Association. Topic discussion was the proposed Best Health Practices voluntary program being developed based upon recommendations from the AKCA scientific committee and how such a program might have prevented the instances confirmed in May of dealer/s spreading KHV into the hobbyist community. In the two instances discussed it would appear the fish came from a dealer/s who represented the koi as having been imports. No domestic farms have been implicated.
Audio Show from the Springbrook Koi Farm brood stock theft in Oregon. Is there really a black market for stolen high end koi in the United States? Plus, new on the 2008 AKCA Seminar in Jacksonville, Florida.

Kodama Koi Farm : Interview with Taro Kodama, president of Kodama Koi Farm of Hawaii about their koi auction business and the upcoming 50,000 Koi Auctioned celebration April-May 15. Over $10,000 in Sweepstake prizes to be awarded. Contest info sent to many AKCA member clubs (follow link for details).


		Audio Show News from the KoiCluboftheAir and a replay of the interview with Andrew Filipowski, the billionaire whose kohaku "Alexandria" daughter of "Rose Queen" recently won "Grand Champion" at the ALL Japan Koi Show. Dealer Joel Burkard broke the news at www.Koi.com. Later this month: Replay of interview and commentary with KOI USA Editor & AKCA Judge Steve Childers. Plus, there will be several interviews from industry and the scientific community. KOI USA Article based on Koi Club of the Air interview of Filipowski by John Hawley & Todo Todorsky (link to article)

University of Minnesota KHV Testing & Carp Control Research

A koi hobbyist recently pointed out at Koishack online forum that the University of Minnesota, “,…will soon be bringing online, through their vet testing lab, tests for KHV and bacterial sensitivity testing. Will be nice having a testing facility located locally. As soon as I have more details, I'll update this thread. Actually they are taking test samples now, but their online form hasn't be modified with clear details on the specific testing and how to submit samples. That will be forthcoming very soon. The Univ is nationally known for their work on many animals including equine, but now are branching out into fisheries. The head of the dept happens to be Koi Kichi which only helps the cause.”

Who knows if the poster was referring to the head of UM’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Dr. James Collins, an expert on swine, but another scientist at UM Dr. Peter Sorenson (http://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/personnel/faculty/sorensen.php)
has taken a strong interest in carp control using pheromones. Sorenson is also working with Australia’s CSIRO that is considering using KHV as a carp control measure.

As this University begins testing for KHV it will be interesting to see what parsing of information and conclusions Sorenson might make relative to KHV as a biologic control in association with his network of associates such as Dr Mark Crane who is leading the charge to release KHV into the natural environment at CSIRO in Australia.

Will Koi Come in the Crosshairs in the EUS Battle?

Beginning in August 2008 importation into Europe of nearly 400 species of tropical fish including koi could be restricted by the Aquatic Animal Health Directive as EUS (Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome) has become a notifiable disease (along with KHV) in the EU after its required listing with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The restrictions are in the consultation phase for the next several months, but scheduled implementation is August 1, 2008. As the U.S. is a member of the OIE will these restrictions possible be in the works for U.S. importers?
EUS is found in numerous regions of Asia including Japan. It was first reported in 1988 in an Eastern India fish kill that included Cyprinus carpio. EUS is a disease that results in fish kills where one of several species of fungus invade the stomach and coupled with Aeromonas cause ulcerous wounds on the fish prior to death.
The UK Fishkeeping journal has addressed this issue, but none of the koi periodicals or message boards aside from here and at IPPCA.com to date.

koi pictures collage

Japan's Invasive Carp Origins

We are presently seeking an interview with one of the authors of a study that exams the origins of the invasive carp problem in Japan, which as hobbyists know is the center of global koi culture and home to the finest koi on the planet. The following is an abstract of the study:

Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals cryptic large-scale invasion of non-native genotypes of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Japan

Molecular Ecology
Volume 17 Issue 3 Page 796-809, February 2008

Wild common carp (Cyprinus carpio) are probably suffering from biological invasions of conspecific domesticated strains. However, such invasions may be largely camouflaged by morphological similarities between introduced and native strains. We conducted a large survey of mitochondrial DNA sequences (complete D-loop region) from 11 localities in Japan. From a total of 166 individuals, 28 haplotypes were determined to fit into six divergent clades. One of the six clades included 19 closely related haplotypes with moderate nucleotide differences; however, the remaining five clades each included either a single haplotype or two almost identical haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis together with the previously published Eurasian haplotypes further demonstrated that the ‘monotypic’ clades were sisters to various Eurasian lineages, whereas the 19 related haplotypes formed a monophyletic group apart from the whole Eurasian clade. Given their monophyly and genetic diversity, the 19 related haplotypes were thought to originate from the Japanese native strain. Conversely, their phylogenetic affinities to Eurasian lineages and unnaturally low genetic diversities caused the haplotypes of the five monotypic clades to be considered as domesticated strains introduced from Eurasia. These hypotheses were supported by further evidences; i.e. the probable non-native haplotypes were frequently found from Japanese domesticated strains, and the probable native population structure was rescued when the probable non-native haplotypes were excluded from the analyses. This study revealed that almost half or more of the haplotypes in all of the locations studied originated from domesticated strains introduced from Eurasia.
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Audio Show with Spike Cover, Director, AKCA Project KHV. Cover describes in his own words the who, what, when, where, and how's of the proposed new program called, "Koi Dealer Best Health Practices Certification Program" "pdf file describing program" Cover expects the program to be in beta testing in the Summer or Fall of 2008. Beta-testing dealer volunteers are to contact Spike Cover for more information.

Audio Show includes an interview with Jason Mulvihill and Deborah O'Haver of AREA the Aquatic Research Environmental Associates about their design work and discount buyer opportunities for hobbyists and large scale commercial aquaculture operators alike. Jason's grandfather Paul was head of Naval Intelligence in Japan prior to 1968 when he founded the company in the Redlands. It was Japan where he developed his love for the hobby that led to their fish and shrimp production and research operations in the U.S. More interesting information to come from Mulvihill and his interesting international operations in future editions of the Koi Club of the Air.

Audio Show includes conversation with Sonja Kohkola, president of the Rainbow River Koi Club of Dunnellon, Florida, a brand new AKCA member club (club's first newsletter pdf download).Plus, new science documenting the "burst-coast" swimming pattern in koi and considerations one should have when choosing proper air pumps for the koi pond and water garden. This study was released through the Journal of Experimental Biology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing in June 2007. Lots more to come on such studies in upcoming Koi Club of the Air & Koi News Network programming.

Audio Show After another successful North Florida Koi Show their Club and Show President and Cohost of the Koi Club of the Air chats with Hawley about the event and nuances that effect participants including, how to find a bargain or your best buy on koi from a participating vendor. This isn't like buying retail where you can only purchase a koi for what is on the price tag. There is an opportunity at a koi show to haggle over price. Plus, different times during the show offer different opportunities. The best show quality fish may only be available at the beginning of the show, but there may be little or no chance for getting to negotiate the price, while on the final day of show often the dealers are motivated to sell. There is also a discussion between Todorsky and Hawley on the James Reilly's recent KOI USA article on Winter Koi. Plus, is there a cookie cutter method to koi keeping where you can for instance get a Koi Keeping for Dummies book that lays out the one lone path that one must take? What is a koi philosophy and do you have one? These are some of the topics discussed in this edition of the Koi Club of the Air.

Contact:

John Hawley @ pijoehawley@yahoo.com

(904)333-3527.