Facing the risk of white spot disease spreading in farmed shrimp, especially after the outbreak in Dong Minh commune, Tien Hai district (Thai Binh province) has directed relevant agencies and local authorities to intensify inspections, monitoring, and guidance for farming households to synchronously implement preventive and control measures to effectively contain the disease.
DISEASE OUTBREAK CAUSES SERIOUS DAMAGE IN DONG MINH
In this year’s spring-summer farming season, Tien Hai district has 1,743.7 hectares of brackish-water aquaculture, with shrimp as the main farming species, totaling about 300 million black tiger shrimp and white-leg shrimp postlarvae. At present, the shrimp have been stocked for 30–40 days, a sensitive stage when disease outbreaks are likely to occur.
Since early May, white spot disease has been recorded in shrimp in Dong Minh commune, causing major losses for farming households. As of May 21, the disease had appeared in 258 ponds with a total area of more than 140,000 m², affecting nearly 2.7 million shrimp. Hai Chau Aquaculture Production and Services Cooperative has actively promoted awareness and guided local people to proactively treat pathogens with chemicals, clean ponds, collect and destroy dead shrimp, and remove disease vectors. The cooperative is also awaiting chemical support from the province to carry out large-scale synchronized treatment.
RISK OF SPREAD TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNES
Unstable weather, with erratic rain and sunshine, is creating conditions for the disease to spread. According to the district’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, the risk of white spot disease spreading to communes with converted farming areas such as Nam Thinh (43 ha), Nam Thang (18.5 ha), and Nam Cuong (86 ha) is very high. The district has directed coastal communes to strengthen monitoring and disease prevention in aquaculture, especially white spot disease.
PEOPLE PROACTIVELY PREVENT DISEASE TO PROTECT FARMING AREAS
Nam Cuong commune has more than 30 hectares of shrimp farming area, with about 10 million postlarvae. The commune government is closely coordinating with specialized units to intensify communication and technical guidance so that residents can protect their ponds. Many households are strictly following the farming process, from treating incoming water and regularly using biological products to stabilize the pond environment, to frequently checking shrimp health.
Mr. Luong Van Chuyen, a farmer in Chi Cuong hamlet, said his family stocked more than 70,000 shrimp on an area of 5,000 m² under industrial farming. Thanks to attention to pond hygiene and environmental control, after nearly two months the shrimp have developed well, with no abnormal signs recorded.
Mr. Do Duc Thien, Director of the Nam Cuong Commune Agricultural Production, Business and Services Cooperative, said the cooperative always closely follows district directives and professional recommendations to guide residents in applying appropriate technical measures, proactively responding to hot weather and preventing disease, in order to improve farming efficiency.
DECISIVELY DEPLOYING MEASURES TO CONTROL THE OUTBREAK
Tien Hai district is focusing its direction on Dong Minh commune to cordon off and handle the outbreak, while also requiring localities to strengthen communication, monitor the farming environment, and promptly detect and respond when shrimp, crabs, or ghost crabs die abnormally. Communes must establish aquaculture disease prevention and control steering committees, prepare sufficient manpower and supplies, and be ready to implement treatment measures in accordance with regulations.
For ponds affected by disease, farmers are required to collect and destroy dead shrimp according to professional guidance, absolutely not discharge untreated wastewater into the environment, and not dump dead shrimp indiscriminately. Infected ponds must be treated with chlorine at a concentration of 30 ppm, maintaining the water level for 7–10 days before discharge.
For ponds that have not shown signs of disease, farmers need to adjust feeding regimes appropriately, reducing feed by 15–30% during unfavorable weather days, while continuing to properly carry out care and management measures to minimize the risk of disease outbreaks.
Tran Tuan
Source: baothaibinh.com
