June 16, 2004

Virus Hurting US Farmed Shrimp Supply

After a nine-year hiatus, a potentially lethal virus to shrimp has returned to US Rio Grande Valley, forcing a quarantine of four area shrimp farms.

Three facilities in Cameron County and one in Willacy County recently reported outbreaks of the Taura Syndrome virus, which experts say poses no danger to humans but can affect shrimp and crabs.

"The general public does not understand there's zero risk to the consumer," said Joe Hendrix, who helped build the former Laguna Madre Shrimp Farm in 1982 and now serves on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

To limit the virus' spread, farms cannot discharge water until September 1, a "free-and-clear time" by which native shrimp will have spawned, said Mike Ray, coastal fisheries branch chief with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Shrimp farmers noticed dying shrimp during the last several weeks and notified state officials, who Tuesday praised the industry's quick response and efficacy of countermeasures designed to kill the virus and keep it away from native species.

According to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission Web site, the Taura Syndrome virus is highly contagious. It causes visible lesions on the shrimp, softens shells and leads the diseased crustaceans to stop eating.

Ray said a similar outbreak a decade ago did not appear to hit wild shrimp, and he does not expect this one to either.

"They're doing everything they can to try to contain this disease. ... It is about as under control as it can be," he said.

Fritz Jaenicke, general manger of Harlingen Shrimp Farms and designated spokesman for many of his Valley colleagues, said he hopes the outbreak will serve to contrast better-regulated American shrimp with imports.

"The biggest message I hope comes out of this is, 'Eat more U.S.-produced shrimp,'" Jaenicke said.

Taura Syndrome has wreaked havoc previously on Cameron County's shrimp-farming industry, which produces the bulk of the state's farm-raised shrimp. According to a TPWD news release, Texas shrimp farms have approximately five times more production acres than those of second-ranked South Carolina.

Although Taura Syndrome-resistant breeds have decreased the likelihood that the disastrous 1995 outbreak will repeat itself, low prices and foreign competition have made for tight times for shrimp farming and given it little room for more bad news, experts say.

Jaenicke likened the recent problems to a sucker punch.

"It's going to be a challenge, but we're going to keep them viable. It's not a completely dismal story, but it's one in which we didn't need a punch in the breadbasket," he said, noting that the year already looked "borderline" in terms of profits.

While not downplaying the threat to Valley shrimp farming, Ray remained optimistic.

"It will have some effect on them, but not as much as you might think," he said.