Antibiotics In Aquaculture

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Antibiotics are a form of medication that can kill bacteria and treat human bacterial infections (Antibiotics: How do Antibiotics work?, 2016). Invented in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming, penicillin was the first antibiotics introduced to fight bacterial infections (Antibiotics, 2015). Not long after the creation of antibiotics, farmers began to realize that small dosages of antibiotics can also be fed to animal livestock for protection against infectious diseases and to promote growth (Levy, 2014). Other than protecting animal livestock against diseases, antibiotics have also been used in aquaculture; and in Genetically-Modified (GM) corn and soy. Antibiotics were initially used in agriculture for the benefit of increasing agricultural production;…show more content…
In aquaculture, fishes are controlled by stressors which reduces the effectiveness of the fishes’ ability to clear up bacterial accumulation and infection in them. The fast spread of infections amongst fishes have also increased due to the hygienic shortcomings in fish raising methods, overcrowding of fish farming in coastal waters and several others (Cabello, 2006). These seem to justify the use of antibiotics in aquaculture. However, in reality, the overuse of antibiotics in industrial aquaculture furthers the problem of antibiotics resistance and brings about harm to those involved in the rearing of these…show more content…
Therapeutic use of antibiotics in agriculture to treat infectious diseases or prevent the spread of such diseases is reasonable and should be allowed but other than that, the government needs to step in to ensure that there is no excessive use of antibiotics. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already taken the first step to stop the use of antibiotics in non-treatment situations by introducing two industry guidelines that aims to eradicate the use of antibiotics for production purposes. This measure was implemented after FDA discovered that many farmers have abused the use of antibiotics by mixing them with food fed to the agricultural livestock; and also to solve the issue of antibiotic resistance (FDA to Farmers: No More Antibiotics to Fatten up Livestock, 2013). Even in Singapore, the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee of Singapore has long realized the negative consequence that might result from the use of antibiotics in agriculture and has put in place risk assessment guidelines of genetically modified organisms related to agriculture to reduce the risks to society due to antibiotic use (Singapore Guidelines on the Release of agricultre-related Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), 1999). Through these regulations, the agricultural industry is more likely to comply with it and stop the overuse and abuse of
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