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As the world awaits the arrival of the Zika virus, the aquatic products industry is also preparing for its own potential crisis.
Aquatic products companies are being inundated with requests from customers looking to avoid mosquito-borne diseases.
The demand is due to a shortage of pesticides, which can cause damage to aquatic products.
In response, aquaculture firms are pushing for improved pest control measures.
A recent report by the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries (ISAF) warned that a Zika virus pandemic could affect the aquacultures industry, including the production of pesticides and chemicals.
Aquaculture products are often made by the same family, and they are typically processed in the same facility, the Institute noted.
In addition, aqua-friendly practices are being adopted in order to reduce pesticide exposure to fish and wildlife.
“As we’ve learned more about the water quality, we’ve also learned that we need to be more environmentally conscious in terms of pesticides use,” said Tom Lutz, a research professor in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
“The more we do this, the more we are going to be able to maintain the water and the fish and the aquatic resources.”
Lutz said he was working with other researchers to identify strategies to mitigate risks posed by Zika and other aquatic pests.
The Institute for the Conservation of Aquacultural Resources (ICAR) in New York City is working to develop a voluntary framework for protecting aquatic products from contamination by Zika.
This voluntary framework, which is being developed by the Aquaculturists of New York and the Institute of Aquatomy, would establish mandatory rules and guidelines for the production and use of pesticides.
A study published last year in the Journal of Environmental Sciences and Pharmacology (JESP) found that pesticides used on aquatic products are more toxic than those used on non-aquatic items, like shrimp.
“Pesticides on aquatic items can cause severe side effects, and those that are more environmentally friendly are the ones that don’t have as severe of side effects,” Lutz told Al Jazeera.
Lutz says aquacultural chemicals should be treated with caution because of their potential to harm wildlife.
Luther’s research group, which was founded by Lutz in 2002, was one of the first organizations to develop and implement a pest control program for fish farms in the US.
The program involved spraying pesticide-free water on fish farms and treating the fish with chlorhexidine, a non-toxic chemical that kills many parasites, including nematodes.
Luthors group also introduced a method to remove the parasites from the fish, which it then applied to their bodies.
“We started in the 1980s with the first aquacaculture, and it was a pretty fast-growing industry,” Luthers group director, Joe Luthiers, said.
“If you look at it as a whole, if you don’t do something about the pesticide contamination of the water, then it’s not going to do anything to help the industry.” “
I think that the aquaventure industry is in a really bad spot because it’s really dependent on pesticide-treatment programs,” Luther added.
“If you look at it as a whole, if you don’t do something about the pesticide contamination of the water, then it’s not going to do anything to help the industry.”
Luthowers group, along with others, is calling on Congress to include a provision in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require the Department of Defense to establish a comprehensive pest control strategy for the United States military.
This would be followed by a requirement for all federal agencies to implement similar strategies.
This strategy would also require states to establish pest control programs that are as stringent as possible.
Lutt’s group is also calling on the Trump administration to address the pesticide use on aquatic animals.
The Trump administration has already announced a number of initiatives that aim to reduce exposure to pesticides.
Last month, the Department said it was suspending a program in New Mexico, where more than a quarter of all fish farms are located, because it had found a lack of effective controls.
The Department also announced plans to phase out the use of certain pesticides on the Atlantic salmon population in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and said it would implement new regulations to ensure the sustainability of the Atlantic Salmon and Atlantic Salmon Products (ASPs) fishery.
“These actions are in line with the president’s goal of getting to zero pesticide use in the marine aquacounty, but the problem is, if we’re going to get to zero, we need these things to be effective,” Lutt told Al-Jazeera.
The Aquacenter Research Institute (ARRI) is an independent, non-profit research organization, and Lutz is also part of its board.
Luthers group is working with the ARRI on an online survey to determine the extent of pesticide contamination in the American aquacenter.
LUTHERS GROUP says the Aquatic
