The use of fish vaccines in the Chilean salmon industry 1999-2003

This study summarises the availability of fish vaccines in Chile in the period 1999–2003. Through a questionnaire survey, data on annual sales per product were obtained from seven pharmaceutical companies and data on the corresponding farmed salmonid population eligible for vaccination were obtained from Sernapesca. More than 20 vaccines for aquacultured fish were brought to the Chilean market during the study period. The estimated number of fish being immunized by immersion increased from 93 million to more than 200 million, whereas sales of fish vaccines for injection increased from 2,008 to 16,561 l, the latter amount corresponding to approx. 150 million doses. Estimated vaccine coverage in the susceptible species ranked from 37–84% for yersiniosis (ERM), from 51–17% for salmonid rickettsial septicaemia (SRS), and from 8–78% for infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Vaccine coverage against bacterial kidney disease (BKD) remained below 5%.