Disease prevention in aquaculture has changed well: Diseases in shrimp have decreased by 44%

Implementing the project to restructure the agricultural sector from 2021 to 2025, with a vision to 2030, Ha Tinh province determined that shrimp is both a key farming object and an object with advantages in commodity-oriented development.

However, to bring shrimp farming to sustainable development, two factors that need to ensure absolute safety are disease and the environment.

There were times when people in coastal areas, such as Nghi Xuan, Thach Ha, and Cam Xuyen, rushed to raise shrimp on the sand. Many farms invested VND 3 - 4 billion, even tens of billions of VND, but only successfully raised the first 1 - 2 crops, then epidemics surrounded them, leading to failure and abandonment of ponds and lakes.

The reason is partly due to weather, climate, and soil, but the main thing is still farmers' lack of expertise and awareness in environmental protection and disease prevention.

In the past 5 years, shrimp farming technology has developed daily, allowing people to shift from extensive and improved shrimp farming to intensive and high-tech farming.

This is one of the prerequisite solutions, contributing to minimizing water pollution and dangerous infectious diseases such as white spot, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis, microsporidia...

Mrs. Dang Thi Thu Hoan, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Ha Tinh province, informed that in 2023, the whole province had raised 2,239 hectares of shrimp but only 50 hectares will be infected with white spot diseases (more than 41 hectares); acute hepatopancreatic necrosis (3.6 hectares) and microsporidia (nearly 5 hectares); down 44% compared to 2022.

Diseased areas are concentrated in Ky Anh, Cam Xuyen, Thach Ha, Loc Ha, Nghi Xuan districts, Ky Anh town, and Ha Tinh City.

"Many factors affect the effectiveness of disease prevention in shrimp. However, people's proactive investment in farming area infrastructure and specialized agencies' timely monitoring, warning, and handling of narrow-area outbreaks are the main solutions, contributing to minimizing damage caused by diseases harm to farmers," Ms. Hoan said.

On May 4, 2023, a white spot disease outbreak occurred in the shrimp farming area of 13 households in Bac Son Hai village, Bac Hai, Ky Hai commune, Ky Anh district, killing 830,000 shrimp on an area of nearly 9 hectares.

Immediately after determining that the shrimp sample was positive for the virus that causes white spot disease, the Center for Application of Science, Technology and Protection of Plants and Animals of Ky Anh district coordinated with the Provincial Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine to quickly guide standards. Destroy diseased ponds.

At the same time, the locality also synchronously deployed epidemic prevention solutions such as supporting 1,500kg of chlorine chemicals to surround the outbreak, cleaning and disinfecting tools for shrimp farming, and thoroughly treating all types of disease-causing intermediate parasites...

“Thanks to timely control of the white spot epidemic in the spring-summer crop and ensuring pond renovation, the recent fall-winter shrimp farming season, all 9/9 hectares of Ky Hai commune people won. Some households earn billions of VND in profit," Ky Hai commune leader said.

Previously, high-tech intensive shrimp farming was only applied in sand-based farming areas with favorable conditions, such as Cam Xuyen and Nghi Xuan districts... currently, in earthen pond farming areas, farmers lagoon in Mai Phu commune, Ho Do (Loc Ha district); Ky Ha and Ky Thu communes (Ky Anh district)... have also boldly applied and deployed new technologies.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Thuy, Head of Aquaculture Department (Ha Tinh Fisheries Sub-Department), said that upgrading infrastructure and investing in technology in intensive shrimp and high-tech intensive farming is the trend. It will solve environmental problems and diseases, adapt to climate change, and improve productivity and economic efficiency for farmers.

Currently, there are many organizations and individuals in Ha Tinh area investing in intensive shrimp farming in tidal flat earthen ponds, high-tech farming on sand, achieving productivity of 10 - 15 tons/ha/crop in earthen ponds and 20-30 tons/ha/crop in earthen ponds, and 30 tons/ha/crop in high-tech ponds on the sand.

Others improve ponds and lakes by spreading tarpaulin; bank flapping - covering the bank with stone powder, aerating the bottom; raised in closed houses or net houses; 2 - 3 stages of farming; Building and replicating intensive shrimp farming models in the direction of VietGAP... contributing to increasing the total area of intensive shrimp farming, high technology, and production in the form of cooperation and association throughout the province to 629 hectares.