This site is dedicated to providing information about the various laboratory resources for aquatic animal health specialists, resource agencies, and private aquaculture facilities. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Aquatic Animal Health Program (USFWS-AAHP) is committed to providing state-of-the-art information, laboratory services and referrals, and current information on training and continued education opportunities in aquatic animal health.

Inspection Laboratories and Services
Diagnostic and health inspection laboratory services are extremely important to preventing the spread of diseases and promoting healthy aquatic animals and ecosystems. The FWS Fish Health Centers provide diagnostic services and inspections to our partners, on an as-available basis. While our primary obligation is to natural resource management, if we are not able to provide inspection services directly, we will assist you in finding the appropriate laboratory for your resource management needs. We have strived to provide a comprehensive list of state, regional, and accredited laboratories who specialize in aquatic animal health laboratory services. You can also contact your regional Fish Health Center for further assistance.

Reagent Resources
The FWS-AAHP believes excellence in laboratory services includes standardization of testing methods and utilization of high quality reagents and reference materials. Because Quality Improvement in the laboratory relies on standardized procedures and premium reagents, the USFWS-AAH program only uses high quality reagents from reputable sources. Several links are provided for commonly used reagent sources.

Education and Training
Specialized training and continued education is cornerstone to the excellence in science that the FWS-AAH program promotes. Our biologists will continue to expand their knowledge in the diverse number of sciences linked with aquatic animal health.

Troubleshooting Guides
To promote the continuous improvements in QA/QC in the laboratory, and assist laboratory clinicians with additional information, we have included several related links and Troubleshooting Guides for both general and highly specific laboratory applications.