Many shrimp died on an area of about 25 hectares, most of which had not been sown for long. This is an alarm bell for the once golden profession in Nghe An.
People do not proactively report to authorities when shrimp deaths occur, making sampling and verifying the cause difficult. Image: QA.
As scheduled, the disease once again “visited” shrimp farmers in Nghe An. Recently, Region III Animal Health Department in coordination with Nghe An Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department established an inspection team. Massive deaths of farmed shrimp in Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town – two key farming areas of this province.
According to previous information, at the peak from early April 2024 until now, the death of farmed shrimp among people is quite common with an increasingly widespread scale with a total area of about 25 hectares, including 20 hectares in Quynh Luu district, The rest are in Hoang Mai town.
Shrimp that die are usually small in size because they have only been stocked for 2-3 days to about 1 week, 10 days or half a month. Because people are so fed up when shrimp die, they do not report it to specialized agencies, so determining the cause of shrimp death is difficult.
To date, about 25 hectares of farming ponds in Nghe An have recorded mass disease and death of shrimp, most of which are newly stocked shrimp of very small size. Image: Collaborator.
In Quynh Luu district, most shrimp farmers are applying traditional farming methods, which pose many potential risks of disease.
Quynh Bang farming area (Quynh Luu district) suffered the heaviest damage, and many experienced farming households could not avoid it. For example, Mr. Ho Dinh Anh’s family in Dong Tam hamlet stocked shrimp from March 13. After about 2 weeks, they noticed that the shrimp in the pond showed symptoms of white body and hollow intestines. Even though I tried every method, it didn’t work. After just a few days, the shrimp died in abundance, with a loss rate of up to 80%. Worth mentioning, Mr. Anh’s shrimp seed source has complete quarantine documents.
This time, Ms. Ho Thi Hoa’s family (residing in Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district) can be considered an “exception”, because the shrimp in 5 ponds have entered the maturity stage, reaching an average of about 60 shrimp/kg. . The longer the farming time, the more expensive it is. In addition to hiring workers, there are additional costs for food, medicine, electricity, water, etc., so even though she urgently sold them off to remove the antlers, Ms. Hoa said she still made a loss. heavy.
Shrimp that reach harvestable size also die, but not in large numbers. Image: QA.
Mr. Bui Xuan Truc, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district confirmed: “The area of dead shrimp in the district is about 20 hectares, some households have encountered problems after just stocking it for 4 days. Because most cases of dead shrimp are newly stocked, farmers do not notify the authorities, so it is difficult to determine the specific number of households that suffered damage. Currently, the authorities have taken samples to find the cause.”
According to Mr. Truc, shrimp farming in recent years has faced many risks, with constant losses pushing many households into a state of exhaustion, unable to survive and having to quit the profession and abandon ponds and lagoons. Many farming areas that were once bustling are now deserted.
In its heyday, Quynh Luu was a key shrimp farming area of Nghe An with a scale of hundreds of hectares, attracting thousands of households to participate. But now the area has decreased sharply, currently estimated to only be about 100 hectares.
Shrimp farming in Nghe An is entering a period of decline. Image: Viet Khanh.
Mr. Tran Vo Ba, Deputy Director of Nghe An Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine, assessed that the current disease situation in farmed shrimp is quite complicated. In particular, Hoang Mai town has recorded epidemics occurring in some wards and communes such as Quynh Di, Quynh Xuan, Quynh Loc. After taking 4 test samples, the analysis showed positive results for white spot disease. Faced with the above situation, the Department issued 1,890kg of Chlorine chemical for treatment.
In Quynh Luu district, the disease situation on shrimp is also quite complicated in two communes Quynh Bang and Quynh Thanh. Here, although samples were taken, the official cause has not yet been determined. Analysis results showed negative for two common diseases: white spots and hepatopancreatic necrosis. The working group is leaning towards the opinion that it is caused by a new disease, not excluding TPD – opaque disease in shrimp larvae.
Through inspection, the working group also pointed out a series of problems with aquaculture in Nghe An and with shrimp in particular. Besides weak farming infrastructure, widespread diseases, and limited economic potential and qualifications, the two biggest worries today are water sources and breeds. Worth mentioning, relevant levels and sectors have not yet found the most optimal solution.
Currently, the total shrimp farming area in Nghe An province is more than 1,100 hectares, but the current area under cultivation is estimated to only reach about 30 – 40%.
Water quality and seed are two difficult problems in current shrimp farming. Image: Viet Khanh.
TPD (shrimp larval opaque disease) was first discovered in 2020 in whiteleg shrimp hatcheries in the northern coastal region of China. The bacteria of TPD disease cause shrimp to show signs of hepatopancreas disease, white, transparent intestine, pale body and gradually shrink. Currently, the World Organization for Animal Health and the network of Asia-Pacific aquaculture centers have not published information and methods for diagnosing and testing this disease.
Realizing that the risk of TPD infecting Vietnam is very high, especially when similar symptoms appear in some farming areas in the country, the Department of Animal Health has issued Official Dispatch No. 806/TY-TYTS sent to specialized management agencies. The veterinary and fisheries sectors of provinces/cities raising brackish water shrimp must proactively “check and report the phenomenon of premature death of shrimp suspected to be due to TPD”.
