Aquatic animal health service providers have expressed concern that there is a shortfall of aquatic animal health professionals servicing Australia’s aquaculture industries. Despite this need, most current Australian education systems/institutions do not adequately cover aquatic animal health. In addition to the need for inclusion of aquatic animal health content in formal education courses, there is also a need for continuing education.

Identifying accreditation mechanisms to ensure competency in professionals providing aquatic animal health services to the aquaculture sector is another component of this strategy. This must needs go beyond the provision of veterinary services (which also provide limited training in aquatic animal health) For example, University of Tasmania currently provide a training course in histopathology of aquatic animals that is targeted at, and in part run by, non-veterinarians.