October 26, 2006

India's shrimp aquaculture threatened by white spot disease

The 'white spot' disease has emerged in the burgeoning aquaculture district of Ongole in Vijayawada, the third largest city in India's Andhra Pradesh province.

Low soil and water salinity levels in aqua ponds in the district have encouraged the growth of the virus, leading the number of cases of white spot disease among shrimps to climb sharply.

White spot syndrome is a viral infection of penaeid shrimp. The disease is highly lethal and contagious to shrimps. Outbreaks of this disease have wiped out within a few days the entire populations of many shrimp farms throughout the world.

Outbreaks in 1993 in China led to a virtual collapse of the industry.

Shrimp farmers have expressed great concern over the disease as they have sunk in thousands of dollars into their ponds.

Presently, the input cost per acre in aqua sector stands at Rs 50,000 (US$1,104) and the prawn culture is carried out in some 4000 acres in the district, meaning farmers may stand to lose as much as US$4 million.

The farmers were expecting greater profits this year as production in Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand have fallen.

Farmers are now praying for rains as it can bring down salinity levels and can save the prawns.