One of the most important documents is the GAA report on EMS called "Managing the Perfect Killer", which was the basis for the global EMS seminar they held in Vietnam in December.
Here are some of the highlights from that report.
GAA says that EMS was first detected in China in 2009. It moved to Vietnam in 2010, peninsular Malaysia in 2011, the northern part of the island of Borneo in 2011 and then Thailand in 2012. It jumped to Mexico in 2013. And we have news of a presumptive outbreak of EMS in India, but we are not aware of it being validated so far.
Although for the years 1990-2000, aquaculture production, including shrimp production, grew at a rate that would double volumes every ten years, since then, growth rates have fallen due to disease. Major shrimp and salmon disease outbreaks have changed the picture for global aquaculture, and until these diseases are more successfully controlled, growth will be slower.
EMS has been shown to result from a bacteria that colonizes the stomach of the shrimp, and then releases a toxin that damages the hepatopancreas, preventing the shrimp from digesting its food, and then killing it through opportunisitic bacteria as it weakens.
The bacteria is a strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Vibrio is widespread in the water column naturally, and it appears that the concentration level is critical in determining whether EMS develops or not.
Further there will be a PCR rapid genetic test to confirm EMS that should be commercially available in the next couple of months.
GAA listed some of the successful approaches done by various shrimp companies:
Agrobest found lower pH helped control algae blooms, which also helped to lessen EMS in their ponds in 2012. They also found black tiger larvae were resistant to EMS, though not immune, but could not get enough disease free larvae to scale up production.
The CP Group had done a lot of work on EMS, and found several important lessons.
One is chlorination can actually worsen the problem. If a pond is chlorinated, the vibrio bacteria bounces back more rapidly and outcompetes other bacteria making the situation worse. The answer is that if disinfectants are used to clean a pond, the full microbial community has to be established using pro biotics before vibrio has an opportunity to outcompete.
CP also found a key fact- the Vibrio have a sense of density, and only release the toxin once they achieve critical numbers - so keeping that density down is a key hygenic factor.
CP has also found that salinity has a major impact, and in high salinity areas there may be whitespot, but no EMS; in brackish areas there will be EMS, and in low salinity areas - less than 5 parts per thousand, EMS does not appear.
EMS is particularly a problem where a number of farms are using the same brackish river as a water source, and dumping bacteria loads into the river.
Another factor seems to be bottom culture. The Vibrio bacteria is "sticky" and appears to be concentrated on the bottom. So when shrimp are first introduced to a pond - keeping them off the bottom in cages, or growing them in raceways for a few weeks, will result in preventing EMS. Larger shrimp are much more resistant, so if they can survive the earliest stages in the pond, they will have more success at lower mortality.
So GAA is suggesting 4 practical setps:
1) stock larger shrimp
2) use black tiger shrimp where available
3) use a poly culture of tilapia and shrimp - this apparently creates a favorable bacteria environment and inhibits the vibrio that produces EMS
4) Use intensive bio-secured systems- including on small ponds. The key to a viable small farm is very fast growing shrimp, and this is being tried in China.
In short, EMS and Vibrio will continue to exist, like White Spot, and will have to be successfully managed for shrimp production to resume its former growth rate.
The good news is that with a series of proper management measures - farmers and major growers like CP, are able to begin producing reliably again.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Lithuania surpassed $14 million, up 8% year on year. While the increase remains modest, it is notable given the continued pressure on Vietnamese tuna exports to the EU as a whole. More importantly, export turnover to Lithuania has shown a clearer recovery in recent months, making the market a destination worth monitoring for Vietnamese businesses in Europe.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s squid and octopus exports exceeded $527 million in the first eight months of 2026, marking a 15% year-on-year increase. This growth is particularly notable given the strong baseline established in 2025, when export turnover for the same period reached $458 million, a 13% rise from 2024.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese pangasius is gaining traction in Japan, where competitive prices and reliable supplies have helped the fish enter professional distribution channels and a major sushi chain.
(vasep.com.vn) A circular economy does not create a “new type of shrimp” or a new certification. Its value lies in helping the shrimp value chain use resources more efficiently, stabilize production, generate additional value from by-products and build the data and evidence needed to meet increasingly stringent market requirements. This was the perspective shared by VASEP at the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Forum on Promoting a Circular Economy in the Shrimp Industry in the Mekong Delta, held in Can Tho on September 21.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to CPTPP markets reached $264 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year-on-year and accounting for 17% of the nation’s total pangasius export turnover. In August alone, export value reached $34 million, inching up 3%.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Golden pompano is being selected as a high-value species for the development of high-tech marine aquaculture in Lam Dong Province. In 2026, the provincial Agricultural Extension Center launched a golden pompano farming model using circular HDPE cages in Lien Huong Commune, opening opportunities to apply technology to marine farming at a scale suited to local coastal conditions.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached $3.3 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year on year. However, growth momentum is moderating and market divergece is becoming more pronounced, while the US and EU continue to present significant challenges. The latest insights from the Global shrimp forum 2026 (GSF 2026), held in early September, also indicate that the final months of the year will remain highly competitive as global supply continues to expand and buyers place greater emphasis on quality, product specifications, supply consistency and the ability to meet market-specific demand.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports continued to grow in August 2026, bringing total export value in the first eight months of the year to US$1.5 billion, up 10% year-on-year. August exports alone reached US$205 million, up 6%. However, market performance has become increasingly divergent, with China and Brazil posting positive growth while the U.S. continued to record a sharp decline.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached US$1.14 billion in August 2026, up 6.4% year on year, bringing the total for the first eight months to more than US$8.0 billion, an increase of 11.9%. Monthly export value remained above US$1 billion, but August growth was only around half the rate recorded cumulatively through the first eight months. This indicates that the eight-month result was supported significantly by stronger performance in earlier months, while market conditions are entering a less predictable period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius is attracting growing interest from Japanese seafood companies as prices of many traditional whitefish species remain high and supply becomes increasingly volatile. Notably, seafood group Kyokuyo has recently continued to feature pangasius among its priority products, highlighting its competitive pricing and stable supply.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
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