Protecting the health of farmed aquatic animals: Reducing dependence on antibiotics

Antibiotic use still lacks proper control

Nguyen Huu Vinh, Director of VMC Vietnam, shared that over the past six years (since 2019), he and the technical team from the Testing and Diagnosis Center - VMC Laboratory have conducted extensive surveys from Mong Cai to the islands of Kien Giang province together with experts from the Faculty of Fisheries at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, the Vietnam Seaculture Association, and several industry enterprises.

“We visited freshwater fish, cold-water fish, whiteleg shrimp, lobster, and marine fish farms, carried out rapid diagnostic tests, collected samples for molecular biology analysis, and performed antibiograms to assess antimicrobial resistance, so that we could provide recommendations to farmers,” Vinh explained.

In reality, aside from some large-scale farms and enterprises that manage antibiotic use and limit antimicrobial resistance relatively well, the majority of small-scale farming households still lack proper control.

According to Dr. Truong Dinh Hoai, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries, Head of the Aquatic Animal Disease Research Group (Vietnam National University of Agriculture), most farmers still rely on medicines and chemicals to treat diseases after outbreaks occur instead of taking the initiative to prevent them. When outbreaks happen, limited knowledge and outdated information often leave farmers at a loss, leading to the simultaneous misuse of multiple medicines and chemicals.

The situation becomes even more worrying as diseases are becoming increasingly complex, and coinfections are becoming common, while farmers still use antibiotics without care and responsibility. They do not bother to follow diagnostic confirmation and select the right medicines and the proper treatment protocol.

This not only worsens the antimicrobial resistance situation but also brings serious consequences such as reduced farming efficiency, antibiotic residues in products and the environment, threats to food safety and public health, and negative impacts on exports.

Proactive disease prevention and eco-friendly approaches

Vietnam’s aquaculture industry uses a wide variety of species nowadays, ranging from freshwater and marine fish to cold-water fish, shrimp, and other seafood. Therefore, reducing antimicrobial resistance risks requires coordinated solutions.

According to Director Nguyen Huu Vinh, more aquaculture specialists are needed in order to provide technical guidance and disease prevention support through local veterinary and fisheries services. Clearly identifying major cultured species will also help refine breeding practices, feed nutrition development, farming technologies, biosecurity, and scientific disease management.

Aquatic veterinary medicine manufacturers should work closely with universities to integrate antimicrobial resistance and responsible antibiotic use into training curricula and farmer workshops so farmers can gain accurate knowledge early.

Government authorities must also strengthen inspections and strictly penalize the use of raw antibiotics, unregistered medicines, or substances not approved for aquaculture, contributing to a safer and more sustainable industry.

The most effective solution to reduce disease outbreaks is strict biosecurity combined with proactive disease prevention. Farmers should also boost animal immunity by using immunostimulants, probiotics, and herbal products during the nursery phase. This helps fish and shrimp stay healthy while reducing dependence on antibiotics. Routine disease monitoring is equally important as it leads to proactive treatment instead of waiting until outbreaks occur.

Control is the key factor in reducing antibiotic misuse. For aquaculture products destined for export, antibiotic residue control has been relatively effective thanks to strict oversight from exporters, who must comply with stringent international residue standards. However, monitoring antibiotic residues in seafood for domestic consumption remains a major challenge.

It is deemed essential to raise domestic product quality requirements by gradually approaching and applying the antibiotic residue standards of advanced countries. This approach will help change perceptions and encourage aquaculture farmers to use antibiotics more responsibly. The growing consumer demand for clean and safe food will provide further motivation to improve the current situation of antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Truong Dinh Hoai emphasized that the core solution is to strengthen training, workshops, and support so that aquaculture farmers gain solid knowledge of proactive disease prevention and greater awareness of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic residues.

At the same time, sufficiently strong and appropriate regulations are needed to change farmer behavior and enforce responsible antibiotic use. This requirement is of great urgency because if efforts stop at communication and recommendations without farmers actually changing practices, results will remain limited.