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Aquatic Animals Commission
Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission
Overview
The Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission (the Aquatic Animals Commission) is responsible for ensuring that the Aquatic Animal Health Code (the Aquatic Code) and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals (the Aquatic Manual) reflect current scientific information. The Aquatic Code and Aquatic Manual provide standards for the improvement of aquatic animal health worldwide, including standards for safe international trade in aquatic animals (amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs and fish) and their products.
The Aquatic Animals Commission, which comprises six elected members, who are internationally renowned experts in the prevention and control of pathogenic agents of aquatic animals, meets twice yearly to address its work programme. It works with internationally renowned specialists to draft texts for new articles of the Aquatic Code and Aquatic Manual and to revise existing articles in light of advances in science. The Commission also collaborates closely with the Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission on issues requiring a harmonised approach.
The views of the Delegates of Member Countries are routinely sought through the circulation of draft and revised texts and, at each General Session, the Delegates discuss and formally adopt the draft texts as OIE standards. These texts are then incorporated into the next editions of the Aquatic Code and Aquatic Manual.
Members of the Commission are elected by the World Assembly of Delegates for a period of three years
Terms of Reference
Taking into account the periodic Strategic Plans adopted by the Assembly, pertinent Resolutions of the Assembly and the annual work plans approved by the Assembly, the terms of reference of the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission shall be:
1. To promote the adoption by the Assembly of standards, recommendations and guidelines for animal health (including zoonoses), the prevention and control methods of listed diseases, animal welfare and animal production food safety concerning the trade and international movement of aquatic animals and their products. Such standards, guidelines and recommendations are designed to minimise the risks of transmitting diseases (including zoonoses) while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers.
2. To promote the dissemination among Veterinary and other Competent Authorities of information on aquatic animal diseases. For this purpose, standards and guidelines are also provided in the Aquatic Animal Health Code and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals (the Aquatic Manual).
3. To keep the Assembly and the Director General informed of scientific progress on methods for surveillance, diagnosis and disease prevention likely to improve the prevention and the control of aquatic animal diseases, and to formulate proposals for updating the Aquatic Code and the Aquatic Manual.
4. To develop in collaboration with other OIE Specialist Commissions and with relevant experts:
a. generic chapters in the Aquatic Code which address general topics such as quality and evaluation of aquatic animal health services including veterinary services, certification, regionalisation, risk analysis methodology, antimicrobial resistance and which are in harmony with similar recommendations in the Terrestrial Code
b. disease-specific chapters and appendices in the Aquatic Code and the Aquatic Manual which are maintained current with the latest scientific information, and which provide clear guidance to users on aquatic animal diseases control in the OIE-listed diseases and on laboratory diagnostic methods.
5. To identify issues that require in-depth review and propose, to the Director General, the composition and terms of reference of experts or Ad hoc Groups of experts convened specifically to study such issues, and if necessary, to participate in the work of these Groups.
6. To advise the Director General on issues relevant to its work arising or being discussed in other international organisations or fora.
7. To reply to all relevant queries made by the Director General, the Assembly or other OIE Commissions.
8. To examine applications from Member Countries relating to the creation of new OIE Reference Centres with activities corresponding to the Commission’s scientific terms of reference and report its findings to the Director General.
9. To advise the Director General on the status of the lists of the OIE experts and Reference Centres.
10. To provide, on request of the Director General, technical advice on proposals for the twinning of Reference Centres under Cooperative Capacity Building (“Twinning”) Agreements.
11. To facilitate, and work with, Reference Centres in the field of aquatic animal health, so as to achieve OIE’s mandate.
12. To represent the OIE at scientific and specialised conferences upon the request of the Director General.
Qualifications of the members
Article 1
The members of the Commission shall be internationally recognised specialists in surveillance, diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases and pathogens of aquatic animals.
Article 2
The members of the Commission shall have extensive international experience, at the regional or global level, of surveillance, diagnosis, control and disease prevention methods of pathogens and diseases of aquatic animals.
Reports of Commission meetings
NB: The reports are in the form of large .pdf files that take some time to download. Please be patient.
 | Dr Ingo Ernst (President) Director, Aquatic Pest and Health Policy Animal Division Australian Government Department of Agriculture and water resources GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA [email protected] |  | Dr Alicia Gallardo Lagno (Vice-President) Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Subsecretaría de Pesca y Acuicultura, SUBPESCA Bellavista 168, piso 16 Valparaíso CHILE [email protected] |
 | Dr Fiona Geoghegan (Vice-President) Legislative Officer European Commission 8 Churchfields Coosan N37E183 Athlone IRELAND [email protected] |  | Dr Kevin William Christison Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Directorate: Aquaculture Research and Development Private Bag X 2V Vlaeberg, 8018 SOUTH AFRICA [email protected] |
 | Dr Prof. Hong Liu Deputy Director Animal and Plant Inspection and Quarantine Technical Center Shenzhen Customs District General Administration of Customs, 1011 building of Fuqiang Road Futianqu, Shenzhen City, Guangdong province CHINA (People’s Rep of) [email protected] |  | Prof Espen Rimstad Professor in virology Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Department of Paraclinical Sciences (PARAFAG) Campus Ås Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås NORWAY [email protected] |
Other Reports
Safe commodity assessments for OIE listed aquatic animal diseases
Surveillance for viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus infection
Surveillance for infection with Bonamia Ostreae
Independent evaluation of the OIE Reference Laboratory for Infectious Salmon Anaemia, August 2012
Other useful links
OIE Collaborating Centre for Information on Aquatic Animal Diseases
International database on aquatic animal diseases
OIE Designated Experts and Reference Laboratories for aquatic animal diseases
European Association of Fish Pathologists (EAFP)
Fish Health Section of the American Fisheries Society
Fish Health Section of the Asian Fisheries Society
International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM)
International Society of Aquatic Animal Epidemiology (ISAAE)
Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA): Aquaculture Health
Permanent Advisory Network for Diseases in Aquaculture (PANDA)
Australian Aquatic Animal Disease Identification Field Guide
