Measures to fend off EMS

Biofloc technology is defined that shrimp farming ponds will be accumulated some microorganism and water will not be changed in farming process. The technology was applied by some farmers in some central and Mekong Delta provinces.

Together with BFT, some provinces implemented co-cultivation of shrimp and tilapia in a farming pond which proved its effectiveness. In the coming time, BFT will be further researched to suit for natural conditions of Mekong Delta before being transferred to farmers.

Minh Phu Corp, a Ca Mau-based shrimp exporter, is combating EMS on its shrimp farms by BFT. In 2013, the company stocks shrimp on the area of 20 hectares where tilapia is thrown. Accordingly, the dead shrimp caused by EMS has been reduced remarkably.

This year, farmers in Soc Trang, a Mekong Delta-based province, co-cultivated shrimp with red snapper. Accordingly, dead shrimp caused by EMS fell significantly, leading to increase in shrimp output. Local farmers without the measures of controlling EMS suffered from the shrimp mortality during the first 30 days of stocking which made up 30-70 percent of total stocking area.

Other producers such as China and Thailand are combating EMS by the above measures which seem to be effective.

With measures to control EMS, Thailand’s shrimp sector has seen a recovery. The country’s shrimp output in 2014 is projected to hit 300,000 MT, 50,000 MT higher than that of 2013 and may reach 500,000 MT in 2016.

Due to EMS, China’s shrimp production in 2013 is expected to reduce by 30 percent from 2012 and its shrimp output will rise in 2014 thanks to EMS-controlled measures.

The disease first appeared in China in 2009 and has since migrated to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, costing producers billions of dollars in losses.  The disease is now appearing in the south of Mexico.