Quote: Momotaro Koi Farm and Ministry of Fisheries Cooperation Plan
This is the current plan agreed upon in a series of meetings between Momotaro Koi Farm and the people at the Okayama Prefecture Ministry of Fisheries.
280 KHV-free fish, purchased from Kagoshima prefecture, are being tested 3 times using the PCR KHV test. Each testing group will consist of 10 fish, leaving 250 pieces. After the final negative test and a 3 week holding period in 23 C water, these 250 fish are to be introduced to all indoor ponds at Okayama Momotaro Koi Farm to see if they contract KHV from potential KHV carrier fish. These fish will be used in previously infected as well as uninfected greenhouses*. The final PCR test results will be known by November 2 and the test fish will be added after.
Once introduced, all ponds will be kept in the 18-25 C range. If any problems arise, the fish will be tested immediately. A positive test will result in that pond being destroyed immediately. If after 3 weeks, a pond shows no problems, the test fish will still be tested for KHV.
Mud Pond Nissai, Sansai, and Older
It is at the discretion of Momotaro Koi Farm to harvest the Nisai, Sansai, and older koi mud ponds. Okayama Momotaro Koi Farm has decided that these fish will be over-wintered in the mud ponds. Once the water temperatures reach 18-23 C, test koi will be added and observed for 3 weeks. Afterwards the KHV test fish will be tested using the PCR method. After all tests come back negative, the mudpond koi will be harvested and placed in an empty disinfected greenhouse most likely April or May when the water temperatures consistently reach 18 C**. Since these fish will be in a separate greenhouse, any later positive KHV tests will not suspend the 2006 breeding season.
Mud Pond Tosai
The two parties came to an agreement that it would be best to harvest all Tosai this fall to test for KHV and possibly destroy infected fish rather than wait until spring and risk setbacks to next year’s breeding season. All of the Tosai remaining in mudponds were harvested in the week of October 23-29. All of these fish were placed in the same greenhouse, the Auction House, in disinfected ponds. All of the 14 ponds harvested were tested using the PCR method. These ponds tested negative but we will still test with KHV-free koi.
The harvested tosai koi will be kept at temperatures between 18-25 C and will have the KHV-free test fish added in early November. Again, any positive tests will result in euthanasia of that pond. Even ponds that return negative test results will be retested throughout the winter and spring.
* All ponds that have tested positive for KHV have already been euthanized. Ponds that have tested negative for KHV using the PCR test will undergo more testing.
** If a mud pond tests positive for KHV, all koi within that mudpond will be euthanized in the mudpond, not moved to another location.