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Welcome to the Fish Health Unit Website

This website has been developed to provide a structured and user-friendly single point source of information relating to the current Fish Health Regulations applicable in Ireland. Information regarding the Aquaculture Operator's legal obligations and the administration of these Regulations is also provided along with information on pertinent Fish Health related issues.

Fish Health Main

Fish Health

Approval

If you operate an aquaculture establishment that falls within categories as listed here, you must obtain Fish Health Approval from the Marine Institute.

Finfish/Shellfish

Movement Application

All movements within Ireland and imports/exports of aquaculture animals for ongrowing & further processing must be notified to the Marine Institute in advance.

Ornamental

Import Application

If you intend to import ornamental aquatic animals, you must first register with the Marine Institute as an ornamental importer.

Important notices

Update on Crayfish Plague in Ireland

Crayfish Plague is recognised as an existential threat to the survival of the globally threatened white-clawed crayfish, Austropotamobius pallipes, which is the only crayfish species native to Ireland. Crayfish plague is a highly infectious lethal disease caused by a fungal-like organism, Aphanomyces astaci, which infects white-clawed crayfish and can cause up to 100% mortality. The latest information on the presence of crayfish plague in Ireland can be found here.

European Commission on Animal Health Law

Regulation (EU) 2016/429 on transmissible animal diseases (“Animal Health Law”) entered into application on 21 April 2021. In support of the implementation of the Animal Health Law, and to help raise awareness on different parts of the new EU animal health legislation, the European Commission has prepared a set of information material that can be accessed online.

The Fish Health Unit is committed to quality and efficiency in the service we provide in implementing Fish Health Legislation while holding ISO 9001 Certification. Our Quality Policy Statement can be viewed here.

We aim to continually improve any areas of this service where possible and we welcome your feedback. You can provide your feedback by completing our Customer Feedback Questionnaire (or by emailing your specific feedback to notification@marine.ie).