CNMI seeks to establish itself as a potential SPF Zone

By Marconi Calindas
Saipan Tribune Reporter

The CNMI has the potential to be a Special Pathogen-Free Zone for the shrimp industry, according to CNMI aquaculture consultant Michael Ogo.

He said that due to the strategic location of the islands, the Commonwealth can be a hub for the export of shrimps that have a documented history of being free of all specified pathogens.

As an SPF Zone in the Pacific, the CNMI will have to ban all live shrimps from being imported to the CNMI as these could be carrier of diseases that could affect the production of local shrimps.

He said there had been earlier research studies conducted in Guam regarding pathogen-free shrimp. He said being an SPF Zone would ensure that all breeders of shrimps would be disease-free. “By having the zone, you are restricting [disease carrying shrimps],” he said.

The advantage of having this in place would provide consumers confidence in buying shrimps from the CNMI.

Making the CNMI an SPF Zone is doable and feasible, Ogo said. Since it sits in the middle of the ocean, he said the island territory is very far from countries with disease-carrying shrimp farms.

According to the U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Program, the SPF designation is only for shrimps that are maintained in high biosecurity facilities, such as a Nucleus Breeding Center, where there are two or more years of documented disease testing to support their SPF status. One such center is the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii.

Currently, there is only one major shrimp producer on Saipan.

Ogo said that shrimp farming could be a moneymaking venture for small or big businesses in the CNMI. Growers and farmers could sell breeder shrimps to Asia for at least $20 per breeder. “Asia is the main producer of shrimps, which they then export to Japan and the U.S.,” he said.

The CNMI has advantages in this industry. First, Ogo pointed out that Saipan is near Asia, which means a shorter travel time when delivering shrimps, resulting in a lesser mortality rate.

Second, the U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Program sells SPF/SPR shrimps only to U.S. broodstock producers. This program is a coordinated research and technology consortium that is responsible for the disease-resistant breeders.

Ogo said the estimated worldwide market demand for breeders is about 1 million. Selling them at a rate of $20 per breeder would result in $20 million revenue.