Detection of residues of certain banned antibiotics in fish and crustaceans in international trade during 2001-2002 led to greater attention on the public health risks owing to the use of antimicrobial agents in aquaculture. The risk of residues withrespect to antimicrobials that are permitted for use in aquaculture is managed by enforcing a maximum residue limit (MRL), but there are very few antimicrobials for which MRLs have been established by international agencies. Most fish importing countriesadopt a zero tolerance approach regarding residues of antimicrobials that are banned for use in food animals. In such cases, residue levels that attract regulatory action are based on analytical capability rather than toxicology of the residues. Development and spread of antibiotic resistance has been a cause of concern, although this issue is complicated by possible multiple origins of resistance traits found in aquatic bacteria. Work done in this area by international agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the World Health Organization and the Codex Alimentarius Commission is reviewed in this paper.
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