Shrimp production increased in 2014, dropped off in 2015, and according to a panel at today's Global Seafood Market Conference, it may not bounce back in the upcoming year.
A group of panelists looked closely at what will impact shrimp volumes in 2016, and a main issue continues to be disease. However, although EMS is still present among shrimp farms, the focus has shifted to EHP, or "Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei." EHP is a fungal disease that is hard to detect and eliminate, panelists said.
EHP is a growing problem that will continue to persist until farmers adopt new rules regarding bio-security, panelists said. When EHP is established in an area, spores are everywhere. Panelists said it will be a difficult disease to overcome. Countries with high density of ponds are heavily infected, with the spread of EHP becoming a serious concern.
A changing enviornment is also condusive to trends such as EHP, panelists said. New systems are needed to address these new issues.
