Farmed tuna hardy, healthy

AUSTRALIA - The southern bluefin tuna aquaculture industry should thank its lucky stars the species can cope with caged conditions, according to a doctor specialised in tuna health.

Brisbane company DigsFish Services director Ben Diggles, said he was pleased to see tuna health was a topic on the agenda at the 2006 Australasian Aquaculture conference held in Adelaide over the past three days.

Dr Diggles said the tuna species was "relatively disease free", which was why it could be successfully farmed in cages.

"The industry is lucky the tuna is a very immunologically competent animal and can cope with captivity very well," Dr Diggles said.

Source: Port Lincoln Times