6.7 Documentation

Information on aquatic animal diseases may be documented in many formats, ranging from handwritten farm records to local, regional and national computerized databases that can be managed by linking various relevant government agencies and diagnostic laboratories (Subasinghe, McGladdery and Hill, 2004).

The competent authority of a country is responsible for documentation of data that is regulatory in nature and is required for the establishment and maintenance of zones for diseases of national and trade concern.
Surveillance data should be regularly updated on a country’s national database where the data can be accessed by policy makers, the competent authority and other stakeholders (Subasinghe, McGladdery and Hill, 2004). It is in the public interest that information relating to biosecurity hazards and their management is made available by competent authorities on an ongoing basis (FAO, 2007a). Nonregulatory data may be documented in scientific research papers, industry newsletters and in farm records from where relevant industry stakeholders can access the information. It is essential that farming operations document data relevant to disease incidence and prevalence as part of the farm-level biosecurity plan. Where third-party guarantees on disease status are required, this forms an important component of the auditing process (Palic´ , Scarfe and Walster, 2015). Under certain circumstances, disease prevalence reporting may be seen as confidential by industry stakeholders. In such cases, the confidentiality of individual and corporate client information may need to be respected where such information falls outside of regulatory requirements.