Seafood farmers who worry about the emergence or spread of disease in their stocks can reduce the threat by following guidelines for sustainability that already exist.
That was the core mesasge behind a panel discussion Sunday afternoon, geared toward what lessons the industry can learn from recent high-profile disease outbreaks like white spot, infectious salmon anemia and early mortality syndrome (EMS).
EMS has been running rampant in shrimp pens in southeast Asia for several years, and even with a cause emerging in 2013, the threat is far from over. In the panel, chaired by SeafoodSource Editor Sean Murphy, speakers including Matt Thompson, aquaculture project lead at the conservation department of the New England Aquarium, spoke of the connection between disease prevention and sustainable practices. Iain Shone, director of sourcing at Lyons Seafoods, noted that he was not an expert on EMS, but had to learn quickly how to deal with the threat of the disease.
And Flavio Corsin, senior manager of the aquaculture program at IDH, pointed out that sustainable trade initiatives such as IDH are already promoting sustainable practices, even for companies that worry they won't be able to afford it.
Corsin then noted that planning for a disease outbreak is just good risk management common sense, summing up the message of the panel by noting, "There will always be plenty of diseases."
