PANAMA - White spot detected

The Ministry of Farming Development (MIDA) confirmed the presence of  white spot syndrome in several shrimp farms in the central region of the country, FIS.com reports. Shrimp mortalities were detected in farms located in Cocle, Veraguas and Los Santos, explained Pablo Constantino Moreno, National Director of Animal Health of MIDA. Analyses were carried out in eight firms at those locations, which tested positive for the disease, a blight that had decimated the shrimp farm output of many Central American countries by the end of the 1990s. So far, the government has declared a sanitary alert in the region and experts are working on drafting a report of potential losses and affected areas.

The national director of Aquaculture, Reinaldo Morales said  “If we apply appropriate management to the farms, as far as the quality of water, most likely [we] will not have disease problems in the following cycle of production, which is equivalent to about five months’ [time],” Critica en Linea reports.

"Some 20 per cent of shrimp farms have been affected, which translates into 50 per cent of the stocked pools, far below the area of production, meaning that we have time to take measures to avoid more serious consequences,” he added.