Cargill's animal nutrition division is working with its customers in Mexico with a workshop next week to help combat early mortality syndrome (EMS) in shrimp.
The workshop, taking place 12 to 13 November in Ciudad Obregon, will "explore strategies to help customers deal with a new bacterial disease causing mass mortalities" in cultivated shrimp.
EMS has already been ravaging shrimp farming operations in Southeast Asia, causing billions of U.S. dollars in damage every year. Cargill said the workshop is in reaction to the discovery of the disease in shrimp farms in Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit in Mexico. Already, shrimp-producing associations are estimating a 65 percent drop in production compared to 2011.
"We hope that a partnership between researchers, industry and government can help develop some holistic solutions to this destructive disease," said John Peppel, senior VP of Cargill Animal Nutrition.
Earlier this year, scientists identified virus-infected forms of the vibrio parahaeomolyticus bacteria as the cause. Now, the discussion of EMS has shifted to how to control the bacteria, and thus the spread of the disease. Donald Lightner, a professor at the University of Arizona who helped identify the cause, is expected to take part in the workshop.
"The workshop's main goals are to understand how EMS is triggered, identify available diagnostic tools for the disease and identify methods to stop the bacteria from spreading any further," said Gerardo Quintero, managing director at Cargill Animal Nutrition.
