By Sav D'Souza
Molokai Times
The two commercial shrimp operations on Molokai have been relatively unaffected by the recent quarantine at the Limaloa shrimp farm on Kauai.
Operations were halted at Limaloa after an outbreak of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) was detected. WSSW is a highly contagious and fatal disease for shrimp and other crustaceans.
John Austin, who co-owns the Keawa Nui farm with partner Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom, is looking to get his shrimp farm hatchery up and running in a matter of weeks. Austin said he would be getting his postlarva (young shrimp that have been through three stages of growth since birth) from the Oceanic Institute and also from Molokai Sea Farms.
Steve Chaikin, who runs Molokai Sea Farms, said that the Kauai quarantine did not have any affect on his farm. “We have a self-contained farm and so have a disease free status. We have to undergo regular stringent procedures and protocols as we export to over 20 countries.”
It is the second time that WSSSV has been detected at the facility in Kauai. In 2004 Ceatach farm had 40 ponds in operation when WSSV was detected. This resulted in Ceatach having to cease operations and file for bankruptcy with reported losses of $1-$2 million. This time around the farm, which is owned by Sun Rise Capital, only had four ponds actually in operation.
Jim Foppoli, the state veterinarian, said that the cleaning process is well underway. “The ponds have been depopulated with the next step seeing them having to be disinfected with chlorine.” After a 30-day dry out period, around 500 shrimps can be introduced and harvested. The shrimps will then be tested to see that they are disease free.
WSSV infected shrimp do not pose any threat to humans consuming them and there are no restrictions on frozen infected shrimps being sold.
“The disease can be caused by infected shrimp coming over from foreign countries,” said Foppoli. “It gets into the landfills and then bird droppings.”
Tests being carried out at Arizona State University are trying to discover if the current virus is the same strain as the previous one found at the same farm or a new strain.
