Health & Welfare

Stocking the best quality shrimp postlarvae, healthy and free of pathogens, is a critical management step with significant effects on the production and profitability of a shrimp farm. 

DNA barcoding and nucleic acid sequencing technologies are important tools to build and maintain an identification library of aquacultured and other aquatic species that is accessible online for the scientific, commercial and regulatory communities. 

An international research effort has commenced to find a solution for Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), a contagion causing high rates of mortality in farmed and wild tilapia stocks in Israel, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt and Thailand. 

Agricultural limestone is widely used to improve pH and alkalinity in aquaculture ponds. There is considerable use of lime in aquaculture to disinfect pond bottoms and water, to attempt to control pH, and various other reasons. 

Biosecurity measures and preventive strategies are essential in any biological production chain. Properly planned and implemented biosecurity programs will enhance animal health, production and economics. 

The next step for shrimp breeding will be developing animals that aren’t just disease-free, but increasingly resistant to multiple pathogens. The industry is globalizing, with suppliers setting up shop overseas. But its birthplace will always be Hawaii. 

This study evaluated the feasibility of a portable, hand-held micro near-infrared spectrometer to objectively determine the stage of maturity in channel catfish. Such a rapid, non-invasive method to stage fish maturity in hatcheries would improve the efficiency of hatchery production. 

Laboratory challenges and a case-control study were used to determine the effects of EHP infection on two Vibrio diseases: acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) and septic hepatopancreatic necrosis (SHPN). 

Few could argue that a reduction in sea lice-fighting chemicals isn't a win for the fish and for the environment. The downside, however, is that increasing numbers of cleaner fish are being caught for use on salmon farms. 

This article from Australia’s CSIRO details the "race" to breed oysters genetically predisposed to resist Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS), a disease that is harmless to humans but so lethal to oysters that it can kill more than 90 percent of a crop of millions of animals within days. 

The Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) is cultured in ponds in Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and other countries. Ongoing research is addressing knowledge gaps in the domestication, controlled breeding and nutritional requirements of the species. 

Accurate PCR testing of shrimp seedstock assures shrimp farmers that their seedstock is clean of major diseases. Ring tests verify that labs conducting PCR testing are obtaining correct, reliable and reproducible results when testing for specific shrimp diseases. 

Organic matter decomposition causes most of the water quality issues in aquaculture ponds. Bacterial populations are the primary organisms of decay in an aquaculture system, including its organic matter. 

Shrimp nursery systems offer significant potential for compensatory growth after juveniles are transferred to ponds for final grow-out. Nursery feed selection and their management are critical components of shrimp nursery systems. 

Shrimp nursery systems offer the shrimp industry an important opportunity to increase profits, by helping produce strong, healthy and uniform juveniles with significant potential for compensatory growth after their transfer for final pond grow-out. Biofloc technology and water quality are critical components of shrimp nursery systems.