Title: Assessment of biosecurity compliance rate and fish health management practices of farmed fish in Malawi.

This study aimed to assess the biosecurity and fish health management practices of fish farms in Malawi to prevent the transmission of diseases both within and between farms. The study evaluated biosecurity compliance and adoption rate by investigating 61 fish farms in Malawi's northern and southern regions. The results revealed poor compliance with the biosecurity measures, with an overall average rate of 48.5%. Similarly, the adoption rate of biosecurity measures was unsatisfactory, with an overall average of 43%. Based on the compliance rate scale used in this study, 62.3% of the audited farms were in the category of poor compliance level, 36.07% were in the intermediate category, and only 1.64% were categorised as having good compliance with aquaculture biosecurity measures. The compliance rate differed across districts, with significant differences between Rumphi and Zomba (p=0.026<0.05). This study suggests that a substantial proportion of fish farmers in Malawi tend to respond to disease outbreaks in a reactive manner, which means that they only take action once the problem has surfaced. This approach is not proactive, and may lead to suboptimal disease prevention and control outcomes. The study also found that most fish farmers (73.77%) sourced their fingerlings from uncertified sources, such as fellow farmers, and did not quarantine new fish stocks. Furthermore, most fish farms do not have their own fish harvesting nets, suggesting that they share harvesting nets across different farms, facilitating the spread of fish diseases. Categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) identified two critical dimensions, with dimension 1 explaining approximately 97.913% data variance. After a thorough review of all biosecurity factors considered in this study, it was revealed that the biosecurity measures that pose a great risk in the studied areas were associated with the source and movement of fingerlings (seed), sharing of materials such as harvesting nets, improper disposal of dead fish, transport vehicles, and persons either visiting farms or working on the farm. To prevent the spread of disease and protect fish health, fish farms in Malawi must increase their efforts to implement effective biosecurity measures. This will require collaborative effort between fish farms, government agencies, and other stakeholders to promote and enforce best practices in biosecurity measures. This study recommends training and education, collaboration and sharing of information, regular audits and feedback, enhancement of regulatory frameworks, and monitoring and surveillance of stakeholders in the fish farming industry in Malawi.