The aquatic veterinary treatment market size is expected to grow from US$ 1.2 billion in 2022 to US$ 1.6 billion by 2030; it is projected to register a CAGR of 3.9% during 2022-2030.

Aquatic veterinary treatment involves complete healthcare for aquatic animals, including whales, sharks, alligators, mollusks, and penguins. Companies providing products for the treatment of diseases include Merck Animal Health, which offers safe and efficient products for the prevention and treatment of diseases among aquatic animals. AQUAFLOR is a family of broad-spectrum, in-feed antibiotics for treating bacterial diseases caused by bacteria susceptible to florfenicol in fish. In addition, AQUAVAC IPN Oral is an oral vaccine for preventing Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus disease in salmon fry. The aquatic veterinary treatment market growth is attributed to the growing aquaculture industry, increasing prevalence of infectious diseases among aquatic animals, and surging demand for aquatic animal species for consumption. However, strict regulatory policies for the approval of vaccines hinder the aquatic veterinary treatment market growth.

In recent years, aquaculture has accomplished a major economic revolution. Advancements in science have paved new possibilities in basic and applied research areas for developing and designing novel and effective treatments and improving existing vaccines for various infectious diseases. Recent developments in products and vaccinology are being made to discover new vaccine candidates to combat aquatic pathogens, including mycotic and parasitic agents, for which vaccines are still lacking. In addition to their potentially harmful effects on human health, these diseases significantly hamper aquatic animals and aquaculture businesses. Traditional vaccines have limitations and drawbacks, which bolsters the demand for developing novel advanced products such as chimeric multiepitope vaccines.

In 2021, the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR) launched a recombinant vaccine against viral nervous necrosis (VNN) in India. VNN affects numerous marines, brackishwater, and freshwater fishes, causing up to 100% mortality in larval and early juvenile stages. Thus, the development of novel vaccines is expected to create significant opportunities for the growth of the aquatic veterinary treatment market in the coming years.

Disease Source-Based Insights

The aquatic veterinary treatment market is categorized into bacterial, viral, parasites, and others based on disease source. The bacterial segment held a significant aquatic veterinary treatment market share in 2022. The segment is expected to register a higher CAGR in the market during 2022-2030. Bacteria are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, and they play crucial roles in the ecology and health of aquatic animals. They can be harmless or beneficial to aquatic animals, while some species can cause diseases and infections, affecting the yield and financial performance of the aquaculture and fisheries sector. Bacterial disease epidemics are frequent in the dense populations of cultured or aquarium fishes. Most bacterial pathogens that affect fish are gram-negative and aerobic rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli).

Route of Administration-Based Insights

Based on route of administration, the aquatic veterinary treatment market is segmented into water medication, medicated feed, and others. The water medication segment held a significant aquatic veterinary treatment market share in 2022. It is expected to register the highest CAGR during 2022-2030. Medicating aquatic animals through the water they inhabit is the most common and traditional administration method. The absorption rate in their bodies may vary from drug to drug. For the water medication method, the volume of water needs to be known to calculate the medicine's final concentration. This method is recommended for low molecular weight aquatic medicines, which can be evenly distributed throughout the water. Fishes absorb the distributed medicines through the epithelia of the gills, skin, and mucosa.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, World Bank, Department of Emergency Medicine, Aquaculture Research & Development journal, and World Health Organization are among the primary and secondary sources referred to while preparing the aquatic veterinary treatment market report.