Dissimilar biosecurity measures and their implementation gap in commercial shrimp hatcheries in India.

Abstract

Infectious diseases are a major problem in shrimp aquaculture. Strict biosecurity measures should be implemented to control horizontal and vertical transmission of pathogens. However, implementation of biosecurity measures is neither consistent nor uniform. In this study, we generate baseline information on the variety and degree of adoption of biosecurity measures in shrimp hatcheries in India. Data were collected from 96 hatcheries using a structured questionnaire. Hatcheries were classified as small (<50.6 million seed/annum), medium (50.6-102 million seed/annum), or large (>102 million seed/annum), according to seed production capacity. Biosecurity measures were categorized as personnel, operational, or screening for pathogens in broodfish and live feeds. The highest biosecurity implementation rate of personnel procedures was 50% in small and medium hatcheries and 40% in large hatcheries. The highest implementation rate of operational measures was 63% in small hatcheries, 84% in medium, and 47% in large. The highest rates for screening of pathogens was 50% in small and large hatcheries and 25% in medium. The only measures implemented in all 96 hatcheries were use of foot baths, disinfecting hands after handling brooders/larvae/live feed, and virus screening of broodfish, indicating consistent practice in all hatcheries and an implementation gap of 0%. A lack of understanding, reluctance to implement, and the need for large financial inputs are responsible for the poor implementation of biosecurity measures. The baseline information generated in this study exposes the challenges in implementation of biosecurity in shrimp hatcheries. The collected data can be used to further refine and implement biosecurity practices.