Fish Health

The Bachelor of Science degree in Fish Health prepares students for assessment of aquatic animal health in areas of bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases. The degree requirements cover content in fish ecology, physiology and hatchery culture, including diseases caused by environmental stress (e.g. gas bubble disease or issues with low dissolved oxygen), as well as those caused by nutritional and mineral deficiencies. In addition, the program includes background in the microbial, viral and parasitic vectors of disease as well as the ecology of disease transmission. The program satisfies the academic requirements for American Fisheries Society (AFS) Fish Pathologists.

Program Highlights:

• Combines coursework from Clinical Lab Science and Fish and Wildlife Management programs (strong basis in fisheries and fish culture as well as microbiology, histology, and virology)
• Satisfies the educational requirements for certification from the American Fisheries Society Fish Health Section
• Students in the fish health program will intern at the ARL’s Fish Health Lab to gain hands-on experience diagnosing fish pathogens

Interested in becoming a Veterinarian?

The program is an excellent preparation for veterinary school* and other careers in the health professions. Our graduates are currently employed as medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians, clinical laboratory scientists, biological researchers, consultants and teachers. Many careers in biology require education beyond the baccalaureate degree and LSSU’s biology program has a proven record of excellent preparation.

*Most veterinary colleges will also require one year of physics.

• BS Fish Health

See also:

• Fisheries and Wildlife Management Program
• Biology Program

Importance to the Great Lakes

• Recent fish disease outbreaks led to new regulations on bait fish and transporting fish for several states around the Great Lakes, including Michigan
• Michigan temporarily halted stocking some species (e.g., walleye and northern pike) because of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)
• Pacific salmon mortalities recorded due to Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD)
• Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) is seen as an impediment to natural reproduction of lake trout and other species
• Fish Health affect hatchery and wild populations of game and non-game fishes
• Diseases spread rapidly in hatchery environments
• Diseases responsible for major fish kills in Great Lakes and inland waters of Michigan (and other states)
• New diseases (and newly discovered diseases) linked to fish kills and limit survival of native and introduced fishes

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