Officials of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has alerted shrimp farmers on the spread of Enterocytozoon Hepatopenaei (EHP), a micro sporedean disease.
The disease has affected fish in several coastal districts, causing heavy loss to the farmers, said MPEDA Deputy Director (Aquaculture) S. Kandan.
“In shrimp, EHP parasite was first characterised and named from slow growing Penaeus Monodon (Black Tiger Shrimp) from Thailand in 2009. Recent studies indicate that EHP is seen in L. Vannamei,” Dr. Kandan said.
Based on the information, officials of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), a research wing of MPEDA, Chennai, collected samples from shrimp ponds in Prakasham, Guntur and Krishna districts, he said.
An alert has been sounded in the State to enlighten the farmers on prevention of EHP fungi. Eleven Disease Surveillance Teams comprising of MPEDA, National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) and Fisheries Department have been formed to collect water and shrimp samples from all major aqua culture areas in the state.
The samples will be tested at Central Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory of RGCA, at its headquarters at Sirkali, and the result would be sent to Fisheries Department officials with necessary recommendations and suggestions, said the MPEDA Deputy Director.
NaCSA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) K. Shanmukha Rao said there was no medicine to control EHP and only the ‘Best Management Practices’ can prevent the disease. Farmers are requested to follow scientific methods and take bio-security methods to prevent diseases, the CEO said.
“The surveillance teams collected samples from L. Vannamei ponds located at Peddaganjam, Pandilapalli, Tanguturu, Chinnaganjam, Nagayalanka, Avanigadda, Nizampatnam and other areas and have been sent to laboratory,” said Mr. Rao.
“Due to EHP fungi, the weight of the shrimp will come down and farmer will suffer loss. Recently, RGCA and NaCSA teams from Chennai and Kakinada visited the ponds to check the disease,” said Mr. Kandan.
