Mission Statement

We at fishPHARM believe sustainable and efficient aquaculture is one of the best ways of providing a growing global population with the food it needs to thrive. The overuse of antibiotics on today’s fish farms is detrimental to both the consumer and the aquaculture industry. Outbreaks of bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) and lack of efficient preventative monitoring systems are real issues that affect the productivity of fish farmers today. We make it our mission to produce antibiotic-free treatments for BCWD, design and manufacture effective and safe drug delivery methods for aquacultured fish, and design and manufacture farm monitoring systems for the purpose of disease prevention and general fish well-being. With these initiatives, fishPHARM will help aquaculture around the globe attain a more sustainable position for food production.

Project Background

The Disease: Bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) is a bacterial infection among fish caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, a Gram-negative bacillus. The name of the disease is derived from the fact that infection typically occurs at temperatures below 13 degrees Celsius [4]. The rapid spread of this waterborne disease occurs through horizontal transmission of bacteria from one fish to another, and is exacerbated when fish are contained in dense populations such as those commonly found on fish farms [5]. Symptoms of BCWD include external fish skin lesions and necrosis of the fins, both of which render fish commercially inviable [4].

Local BCWD Outbreaks: Cornell University is situated in the Finger Lakes region as well as a part of the Great Lakes region. Unfortunately, the region has recently been hard hit by the effects of BCWD. For example, in 2010, Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery, a Ohio facility associated with Lake Erie, reported an outbreak of BCWD among its stock of steelhead. Mortality rates among its 285,000-fish population rapidly reached 100 individual salmonids per day. By the time antibiotics were administered, mortalities had peaked at 371 fish a day [3]. Rampant BCWD infections in our local area has inspired us to create fishPHARM to help prevent local infections from spreading.

Aquaculture and Fish Farming: Outbreaks of BCWD are very common, observed globally, and can result in harsh economic effects on commercial salmonid producers [4]. Wild salmonid populations are also susceptible and wild fish can easily contract the disease via contact with domestic populations . At principal risk are farms in the United States that grow salmonids in cramped conditions. Aquacultural production of salmonids is one of the the fastest growing and largest food markets globally, producing hundreds of millions of tons of fish and representing a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Fish farming has been a rapid response to the growing crisis of global overfishing. In addition to ensuring that hungry populations have access to a cheap yet nutritious source of protein, aquaculture provides fishermen with a means of compensating for the shrinkage of wild fish populations. Heavily populated countries such as Norway, Chile and Japan are leading consumers of aquacultural products, and rely on farm-grown fish to help feed the masses. Epidemics among fish farms could thus have disastrous consequences. The aim of our project is not only to prevent economic harm to the fishermen, but to aid communities with economies heavily dependent on the aquaculture industry and provide food security as well.

Threat to Wildlife: BCWD is not only a threat to the commercial fish farming industry, but also a concern to the ecology of the wild salmonid fish population. When these fish farms are located in larger bodies of water, the pathogen F. psychrophilum can escape natural or man-made boundaries to infect wild fish populations [4]. Compounding to this problem is the fact that juvenile fish, which are more susceptible to infection, are commonly found in estuaries and bays where the fish farms are usually placed. Since salmon are a crucial source of nutrition for a plethora of secondary and tertiary consumers (bears, otters and ospreys, for instance), mass die-offs among the fish could devastate local ecosystems [5]. Containing F. psychrophilum is thus crucial to both the economic and ecological well-being of the earth's natural habitat.

Current Solutions: The current treatment protocols for BCWD involve chemotherapeutic agents. Broad-spectrum antibiotics such as oxytetracycline are currently being used by fish farms to treat BCWD [4], but these antibiotics remain in the food we consume, leach into the ocean or soil surrounding farms, and give bacteria the opportunity to develop resistance. Antibiotic resistance reduces the effectiveness of the administered antibiotic in successive generations, thereby worsening the effects of BCWD over time. This prompts the need for a treatment for BCWD that is less prone to resistance than antibiotics.