Firm testing EMS prevention system

A Belgium-based aquaculture firm is running commercial tests on a formula meant to help combat early mortality syndrome (EMS) or acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHPNS) in farmed shrimp, which is likely caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus pathogens.

Already, the proprietary mixture of phytochemicals from INVE Aquaculture has successfully produced Vibrio-clean or hygienic postlarvae in experiments and has produced postlarvae that are much more robust and “far better adapted to stress,” Patrick Lavens, innovation director for INVE Aquaculture, told SeafoodSource. “Right now, we are doing tests at the industrial scale with our clients,” Lavens said.

Shrimp farmers around the world welcome the news since EMS causes more than USD 1 billion (EUR) in annual losses. EMS outbreaks typically occur within the first 30 days after stocking a newly prepared shrimp pond, and mortality can exceed 70 percent, according to the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA).

At the same time, INVE’s phytochemical mixture is not an EMS treatment on its own. “Rather, it is a bio-security tool that may assist — together with good health management — in preventing outbreaks. It is a partial contribution,” Lavens said. Recent farm tests in Vietnam demonstrated that INVE’s performing health protocols (including disinfectants, probiotics and boosters) can significantly improve farm outputs in EMS-affected areas.

INVE, which also has operations in Thailand and the U.S., developed a formula of phytochemicals that can induce cellular stress responses in aquatic organisms and increase the non-specific immunity of shrimp, and thus may prevent losses from diseases. Plus, in cases where EMS outbreaks or stressful situations can be predicted, the phytochemicals may be used in anticipation of events to reduce bacterial pathogen transfer and improve the stress tolerance of shrimp, according to INVE.

After experiments at its research facility in Thailand, INVE found that this new phytochemical mixture reduced bacterial load during transport of postlarvae and reduced stress during and after transport.

“Our results show that osmo-tolerance after transport [to ponds] increased in those postlarvae that were treated with the mixture during transport, and these effects remain for at least seven days after transport. This demonstrates the potential of this phytochemical mixture to reduce bacterial transfer and to improve the robustness of shrimp postlarvae,” according to a recent scientific presentation from INVE at the LARVI conference.

After the commercial tests are completed, INVE would likely have the final phytochemical product available for commercial use within six months to a year.

“Going into commercialization requires a couple of steps, such as verification and registration of the product in different countries, so the timing is difficult to predict,” Lavens said.

For years, INVE has been testing botanical extracts for several health characteristics of farmed seafood. “One of the activities we were interested in from the beginning was Vibrio control and production of high quality fry for stocking into grow-out systems, and, since the EMS outbreak, we focused even more on it,” Lavens said.

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