Current Farmed Shrimp Mortality Problems Due to EMS are Only
a Bump along the Road
Shrimp aquaculture on a large commercial scale is less
than 30 years old and is certainly in its infancy when compared to the long
history of the production of beef, pork, and chicken. Beef, pork, and chicken have over a 3000-year
head start on shrimp farming and in modern times governments around the world
have devoted great resources to identify, treat, and prevent diseases that have
emerged in the production of these vitally important land based domesticated animal
species.
Currently the very young shrimp farming industry is going
through growing pains exemplified by losses due to both known and unknown
disease, culture and seeding processes. This is currently exemplified by the emergence
of EMS which is short for “early mortality syndrome”. EMS is causing dramatic pond
losses of juvenile shrimp in several S.E. Asian production areas and as of late,
the exact cause (bacterial, viral, genetic, combination of factors, etc.) has
not been definitively identified.
I have no doubts that the cause of EMS will be discovered
in the near future and/or that changes in aquaculture practices will prevent it
from developing at farm sites in the first place. At present, there are ongoing efforts around
the world by both shrimp farmers and scientists to improve shrimp culture as it
strives to catch up with the successes that land based animal protein
production systems have seen in terms of disease prevention and farming
efficiencies.
While today EMS mortality news is the hottest topic in
the world of farmed shrimp, it is important to view this as just a bump along
the road as shrimp aquaculture travels towards becoming a more mature, healthy,
and efficient protein production system.
EMS ?….this too shall pass.
