Continued challenges due to white spot, Enterocytozoon Hepatopenaei (EHP), White Feces Syndrome, and other diseases are the largest obstacles to increasing India’s shrimp production, according to multiple industry experts in the region.
Mortality and reduced growth rates caused by EHP and White Feces Syndrome have driven down the average size of harvested shrimp, Society of Aquaculture Professional President Ravikumar Yellanki said during a presentation covering the biggest challenges facing the shrimp aquaculture industry in India.
“The onslaught of diseases are definitely affecting the sizes of shrimp,” Yellanki said.
In addition to the drop in sizes, current predictions have the country producing 18 percent less volume in 2019 than it did in 2018, after years of steady increases. Indian shrimp seed production, as well, is predicted to decrease from 73.6 billion to 58 billion, with decreases in production of both vannamei and monodon species.
Disease is the biggest culprit in the drops, according to Yellanki. White spot syndrome continues to be a problem, but EHP and white feces are new factors leading to the decrease as well.
Data suggests that the sudden introduction of EHP, White Feces Syndrome, and other conditions has flatlined the growth potential of Indian shrimp production, according to Ramraj Dahmodar, president of the All India Shrimp Hatcheries Association.
It isn’t just the new diseases, white spot syndrome continues to be a factor, said Dahmodar.
“White spot syndrome continues to cause extensive crop losses there is no let-up in the virulence even after 25 years of its first appearance in the country,” he said.
Still, white feces is rated as the “most serious threat” by farmers.
According to Dahmodar, a survey indicated that of 155 ponds that had white feces, 143 of the ponds also had EHP. In addition, 98 percent of farmers have been affected by the white feces syndrome.
One way to help prevent the continued disease challenges, said Yellanki, is to mitigate risks by not accepting broodstock from large farms in other countries as India has no way to test for diseases that are new to the industry.
“If a disease is entering into the country, we don’t have any mechanism, we don’t have any ability to test, because the disease is not known,” he said. “Every disease has started from a large farming company. Why should we take the risk? Why should we take the broodstock from the larger countries?”
Until the disease challenges can be overcome, India’s shrimp production will likely remain stagnant, Dahmodar predicted.
Photo courtesy of Archer Dec24/Shutterstock
