The OIE has developed a set of guidelines to minimise that risk, in the form of the International Aquatic Animal Health Code and its companion volume, the Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases . During the preparation of these guidelines, the OIE organised an international conference in Paris, from 7 to 9 June 1995, to broaden its consultations in this arena. The papers published in this issue of the Scientific and Technical Review were first presented at that conference. The first section provides historical examples of the international movement of aquatic species, whereas the second section describes the characteristics of current trade in fish, molluscs and crustaceans in various regions of the world. The third section is devoted to disease problems associated with international trade.
Areas discussed include Europe, Japan, the southern hemisphere and the Americas.
The fourth section provides examples of national legislation which has been designed to reduce the risk of disease transfer in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Chile, Germany and South Africa. International legislation is examined in the final section of this book, which presents the regulations of the European Union, the preparation and applications of the OIE Code and Manual , and the World Trade Organisation Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. This collection of twenty-five papers, presented by thirty authors, offers readers a clear insight into the problems encountered and solutions found to prevent the spread of aquatic animal diseases in international trade.