The PMP/AB is a recent initiative that FAO and its partners are promoting to enhance aquaculture biosecurity capacity at the regional, national, local sector and enterprise levels.
Developed in two multi-stakeholder consultations and several Technical Working Group meetings and endorsed by FAO’s Committee on Fisheries Sub-Committee on Aquaculture 10th, 11th and 12th sessions), the PMP/AB is expected to sustain:
- a reduction in disease burden;
- an improvement of health at farm and national levels;
- a minimisation of global spread of diseases;
- an optimisation of the socio-economic benefits from aquaculture;
- an attraction of investment opportunities into aquaculture; and
- an achievement of the One Health goals - health of the ecosystem, people and cultured organisms.
The PMP/AB builds on: (i) existing institutional and legal frameworks, capacity and appropriate tools, using risk-based approaches and public–private partnerships (PPP); and (ii) resilience to the biosecurity vulnerabilities.
The PMP/AB has four stages (Figure 1) and follows the principles of being risk-based, collaborative and progressive with a good understanding of the epidemiological triad showing the relationship between pathogen and susceptible aquatic population in a suitable environment that allows transmission of the pathogen and development of disease in the population (Figure 2).
Figure 1. The four stages of the PMP/AB
Figure 2: The Snieszko Circle
Snieszko's circle shows the epidemiological triad of factors that contribute to the onset and spread of disease. Understanding the relationship between host, pathogen, and environment, influenced by human actions, is critical to the PMP/AB implementation
Advancement along the PMP/AB
The PMP/AB is not intended to be prescriptive and countries may initiate actions across various stages simultaneously, yet to progress to the next stage, they must demonstrate fulfillment of all outcomes within that stage, typically described in a nationally endorsed strategic document known as a Gateway Pass, needed to progress to the next stage.
It is recommended to prioritize a single or multiple aquaculture sectors (commodity based) and consult with stakeholders to determine the progression along the PMP/AB. Consequently, different aquaculture sectors within a country may advance along the pathway at different speeds.
PMP/AB possible application scenarios
The PMP/AB may be applied by any country, no matter what the current status of its national aquaculture biosecurity is. The four identified scenarios are listed in Figure 3 below. Countries decide for themselves how far, and how fast, it is appropriate for them to progress along the PMP/AB. Commitment to the pathway is meant to be flexible, and a country may not always need to progress to the next stage. Countries have the option to assess their current position on the pathway using a self-assessment questionnaire known as the "PMP/AB checklist." This checklist outlines specific minimum requirements, or quality indicators, based on the key outcomes outlined in the descriptions of each stage of the PMP/AB.
Figure 3: Country scenarios as entry points to the PMP/AB
Benefits of PMP/AB
The benefits – mutually reinforcing – accrue to a country, the industry, the farms and the enterprises along the PMP/AB. Briefly these are:
- Better governance: It offers countries the opportunity to harness aquaculture production that is responsive to environmental and human-induced challenges and requires enabling policies.
- Partnership, shared ownership and responsibilities: It provides a solid platform for PPP, through the formulation of strategic and implementation plans that are jointly developed by industry stakeholders, governance authorities and the academe. This ensures buy-in and best-fit for each country.
- Tangible benefits to stakeholders at every stage: This encourages long-term commitment. Co-management principles ensure that problems are well defined and management solutions identified.
- Commitment to risk management: It establishes risk ownership and promotes active engagement and long-term commitment to risk management.
- Sustainability: All the above, which can be boiled down to collaboration among the major stakeholders marked by coordinated efforts of various institutions and experts, pooled resources, shared knowledge, expertise and experiences, cooperation and goodwill, down to the sustainability of the biosecurity component of aquaculture management and the global aquaculture industry.
Additionally, other specific benefits should be considered as better risk management, cost-effective mobilization and application of the most innovative scientific and technical knowledge.