Aquatic Animal Health

The primary role of the AAHP is to provide outreach and training so these aquatic animal stakeholders can strive to maintain the highest quality of animal health, husbandry and welfare.

Read about the work of AAH and Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, Aquatic veterinarian in The Traveling Ornamental Defender (pdf).

 


The Wet Pet Vet

Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan wiggles his fingers into surgical gloves. They snap against his wrists like rubber bands. On the operating table in front of him, a sedated patient lies on her back. She was diagnosed with a parasitic infection a week ago, so she has been undergoing treatments. Today, she’s in for a checkup.

Her name is Pebbles, and she’s a 3-foot-long, pointy-nosed wolf eel with a ribbon-like tail that ripples like a flag in the wind. She lives at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Continue reading.

Helping Aquarium Industry Maintain Fish Health

This video includes Project Piaba, an effort by AAH and Miller-Morgan to help ensure that wild fish imported from Brazil for the aquarium industry are healthy. As part of this work, Dr. Miller-Morgan travels to the Brazilian rainforest every year to train exporters and others to properly care for the fish. He's interviewed in this new documentary about the industry. Part 1 and Part 2 of this video is now available for free on YouTube.

Conferences, Trainings & Courses

AAHP Publications

View a full list of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and industry and Extension publications from members of the AAHP program.

 

 
Tim Miller-Morgan, Aquatic Veterinarian, Sea Grant Extension

Dr. Tim is Oregon Sea Grant’s aquatic animal veterinarian and the Aquatic Animal Health Program (AAHP) team lead. He monitors the care of all the fish and invertebrates at Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) and often travels to different areas of the country and internationally to promote the health of aquatic animals and teach best practices for their care. He is on the faculty of OSU’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and the Aquarium Science Program (AQS) at Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC). Also, he serves as the veterinarian for the animals in the AQS Program’s Teaching Aquarium.

 

Sid Stetson, Senior Aquarist / Facility Manager, Hatfield Marine Science Center

Sid is an aquarist and educator who manages the day-to-day operations of all Oregon Sea Grant animal areas at HMSC. In addition, he works with veterinary students from OSU and other universities and AQS students from OCCC to further their understanding of the many aspects of aquatic animal health. A graduate of the AQS Program, Sid is an AQS faculty member and serves as its Local Advisory Committee chair.

 

Jaimie Hart, Aquarist, Hatfield Marine Science Center

Jaimie is the lead aquarist of the HMSC Visitor Center Aquarium. A graduate of the AQS Program, she mentors Aquarium Science and veterinary students on how to provide optimal care for aquatic animals and life support systems. Jaimie also works closely with our volunteers on the animals in our collection by giving detailed information about each species and the many different ways that she provides optimal care for them.

 

Trevor Erdmann, Aquarist, Hatfield Marine Science Center

Trevor manages the Aquatic Animal Teaching Lab at HMSC and the systems and animals in the Education Wing. A skilled teacher and life support system designer and builder, Trevor also works with veterinary and AQS students, teaching them how a properly built and maintained life support system promotes and protects aquatic animal health.  He is also a member of the AQS faculty team and serves as a mentor in the program’s teaching aquarium.