The Current State of Knowledge of the Economic Impact of Diseases in Global Aquaculture

Aquaculture has been rapidly growing over the past few decades and has become an important contributor to global food security. As production increases, the intensification of production increases the risk of disease outbreaks. Infections caused by viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens represent a major threat to farm economy and growth. To minimize this threat, knowledge of the costs, benefits of prevention, and treatment of diseases is important. Despite the significant costs related to diseases, which are estimated to be 6 billion USD annually, only a limited number of studies have analyzed their economic impacts. A lack of a consistent framework in the literature for identifying the costs of diseases and the gains obtained from avoiding them also presents challenges for the sector in terms of providing a proper response. This paper provides an overview of 29 peer-reviewed articles that estimate economic losses due to diseases and/or quantify the economic gains of reducing them through management. The PRISMA methodology was used for article selections. This overview provides information to farmers and policy-makers on the magnitude of the potential costs and benefits of controlling diseases. The studies are diverse, especially with respect to diseases, economic impacts at different levels, and units of measurement. We have therefore classified them using a consistent framework. This review highlights the need for health management to mitigate disease costs and reduce risks so that aquaculture can both continue to be a growing food source and sustain the livelihood of farmers.