PRAWN raisers have been alerted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to take precaution against a deadly disease called White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) that has been raging in many farms in Mindanao and the Visayas.

BFAR Regional Director Nestor Domenden said the WSSV is a bane to the shrimp industry because once the disease becomes uncontrolled, it could wipe out an entire shrimp population overnight.

Domenden said farmers in the Mindanao and Visayas, where the virus was first detected, are saying that the WSSV may have come from Pangasinan or Zambales where they are sourcing juvenile shrimps.

Domenden was in Pangasinan Thursday to hold a consultation with prawn raisers and other stakeholders, including fishery technicians, to validate reports that the WSSV virus originated from Pangasinan.

This turned out negative but consequently the BFAR discovered that there are numerous prawn hatcheries in the province that are not registered.

These unregistered hatcheries, if they remain unchecked, could possibly be the source of WSSV and other deadly diseases.

Domenden appealed to owners of unregistered hatcheries to immediately legalize their operations so they could adapt to the proper standards of approved hatchery operations.

SYMPTOMS

He explained that shrimps afflicted with WSSV usually develop white spots in the head or tail.

Shrimps with these symptoms need to be removed from the pond before they infect other shrimps.

Even with just two or three shrimps having WSSV in the water, it would take only two to three days to wipe out the shrimp population in one compartment of the farm, Domenden stressed.

Domenden invited local shrimp farm operators to attend a national conference in Manila next week that will discuss countermeasures against the deadly WSSV.

To date, the Philippines ranks third among exporting countries in terms volume of shrimps being shipped out to various parts of the world.

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