Think like a fish: seasonal action plan

With seasonal shifts influencing water quality and fish health in complex ways, aquaculture professionals must stay one step ahead. A seasonal care calendar allows you to anticipate risks, schedule health interventions, and optimise productivity throughout the year.

Why use a seasonal calendar?

Just as crops follow an agricultural calendar, aquaculture systems benefit from a cyclical, season-based approach to health and management. By aligning your feeding, testing, vaccination, and observation routines with seasonal trends, you can reduce animal health emergencies and improve animal welfare.

Key elements of a seasonal health calendar:

• Routine water testing

  • Monitor temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, and nitrite weekly

  • Intensify testing during seasonal transitions (spring and autumn)

  • Use reliable water testing kits /equipment

• Feeding adjustments

  • Gradually increase feed in spring

  • Reduce or suspend feeding in winter, depending on species and temperature

• Vaccination planning

  • Schedule vaccines in late spring (before summer peaks) and early autumn (before winter onset)

• Aeration and equipment maintenance

  • Inspect aeration systems and equipment ahead of summer and winter

  • Maintain backup aerators, especially to mitigate risks of turnover or hypoxia

• Health screenings

  • Spring: check for parasites and signs of suppressed immune function

  • Autumn: monitor for signs of digestive and water quality issues

• Sludge and organic matter management

  • Remove excess organic material in autumn to reduce decomposition and oxygen depletion risks

• Biosecurity checks

  • Quarantine new stock ahead of season changes

  • Inspect the condition of biofilters, footbaths, nets, and protocols on a quarterly basis

• Team training and log keeping

  • Conduct seasonal refresher training to help staff recognise early signs of poor water quality and appropriate response actions

  • Keep a water quality and health log to identify patterns and improve decision making