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) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) June 2026 brought encouraging signs for Vietnam's tuna exports, with export value rising 20% year-on-year to nearly USD 72 million. However, this increase has yet to offset the prolonged slowdown seen in key markets such as the European Union (EU), where import demand remains weak. The outlook for the second half of the year is expected to become more challenging as freight rates continue to climb.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in collaboration with the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will organize the Domestic Seafood Supply–Demand Matching Program on the morning of August 20, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City. The program aims to foster direct business connections between Vietnamese seafood producers and processors and domestic distributors, retailers, and foodservice channels.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Cooking Show will be one of the most engaging experiential highlights of Vietfish 2026. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, 2026, at Hall B1, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City, the event will offer visitors a vibrant culinary space where Vietnamese seafood is showcased through its flavors, stories, and real-life culinary applications.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius exports reached USD 205 million in June 2026, up 5% compared with the same month in 2025. Cumulative export value for the first six months of the year totaled USD 1.1 billion, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Growth was primarily driven by strong demand from China and CPTPP markets, while exports to the United States and Brazil continued to decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first six months of 2026, Ha Tinh province continued to implement comprehensive solutions to combat IUU fishing; strictly manage the fishing fleet, control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, operate vessel tracking devices, trace the origin of seafood, and severely punish violations.
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