The Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs (CAOAC) has been informed by Health Canada that a new piece of legislation will take effect on December 1st, 2018 that could have an impact on the fishkeeping hobby.
The ruling titled “Responsible Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Animals” will require individuals to obtain a prescription for purchasing medically important antibiotics for all animals, including aquatic animals. This purpose of this ruling is to prevent the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant infections caused by over usage of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine and in the agriculture industry.
“The Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs formally supports Health Canada’s ruling on this matter, as our mission is to teach members that good animal husbandry will help to prevent illness in our fish.”
President of the Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs, Nancy Egelton.
Before this ruling, there were no guidelines or rulings for fish medications. In addition, there were no guidelines on dosages, and medications used on humans were being purchased and used on aquatic animals. 80% of animal antibiotics used in Canada are non-prescribed and are causing animals to become immune to illnesses through the over usage of these antibiotics from their owners.
“To comply with this ruling, we (CAOAC) must learn to modify our way of thinking and our use of medications for fish."
We will be researching further to find veterinarians that will help us to correctly medicate our fish.
For further inquiries, please contact: Nancy Egelton, President of CAOAC CONTACT INFO: nancyegelton@gmail.com
