​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​AHL undertakes testing of aquatic animals from both freshwater and seawater. Please notify the laboratory prior to sending whole animals for necropsy.

Field Sampling - Finfish

• Fix tissues in 10% buffered formalin, at a minimum ratio of 1:10 tissue to fixative; 
  
• Detailed guidance on field sampling can be found in
  

  Guidelines and Procedures Manual for Field Sampling of Fish for Disease Investigation and Health Monitoring   (624Kb)​

Laboratory examination

Finfish

• select moribund animals; 
  
• immediately pack on crushed ice and send without delay; (fish should arrive the same day as they are sent; the interval between collection and arrival should not exceed 24 hours);
  
• small fish, 1-10 g in size, can be submitted live in plastic bags containing water and sealed under oxygen. Fish submitted this way should be kept cool and arrive the same day as collection;
  
• provide a clear history including​ site or lease number, water quality, vaccination status, signs of disease​ and stressors.​

Molluscs or crustaceans

• submit in an insulated box;
  
• ​multiple ice-bricks should be placed around the samples and dispatch immediately;
  
• animals should arrive at AHL within 24 hours.
  
• provide a clear history including lease number, growing conditions (e.g. sub-tidal or intertidal), salinity, temperature etc.

Larval materials/spat

• ​fixed in 10% buffered seawater formalin or submit in seawater – clearly mark the container with the liquid content
  
• NB – refer to Fish Microbiology and/or Molecular Biology sections for further information.