The fisheries sector contributes significantly to the Sustainable Development Goal: #14 (SDG-14) that emphasizes the need for countries’ support in restoration of fish stocks to improve safe and diversified healthy diets. Aquaculture has therefore become one of the fastest growing agro sector in the world and aids in the production of quality fish which provides nutritional, commercial, ecological and societal benefits to many countries including Ghana. Fish disease problems however, remain the largest single cause of economic losses in aquaculture.  

Fish health and management has not being fully exploited and understood for sustainable production. Infectious disease control remains one of the challenges to fish farming within our setting. Most aquaculture farmers in Ghana are purported to have fish mortality as high as 75-85 percent after stocking with fingerlings (< 5 g).  

Use of antibiotics in animal production systems has been associated with drug residues in the animal products as well as development of drug resistant bacterial strains, which may spill into the human population. Alternatives to antibiotic use exist but are not widely applied in the African setting. Biological agents such as “Bacteriophages” (tiny antimicrobial entities that ‘eat up bacteria’) can be used as disease-control agents. These bacteriophages are cheaper and safer compared to conventional antimicrobial drugs use.