Abstract :
Shrimp disease outbreaks remain the most profound threat to the fast growing shrimp aquaculture industry, and they have caused billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide. Biosecurity has been applied in aquaculture as a preventive practice for the exclusion of specific pathogens from cultured aquatic species at various levels from facility/farm level to regional and country levels. Isolated in the Western Pacific, the Mariana Islands have a unique geographic advantage and great potential in playing a more significant role in shrimp aquaculture locally, regionally and even globally. Yet, some biosecurity measurements are quite relaxed and the whole region is lacking health monitoring and regulatory control programs. There is a need to increase awareness of biosecurity measurements on the individual farm level, as well as to establish systematic health management to protect the whole region from the introduction of viral pathogens. This will avoid major disease outbreak, reinforce the clean zone image of the region, and eventually lead to long-term sustainable shrimp aquaculture development on Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This project aimed at promoting the health management of shrimp aquaculture on Guam and CNMI, with three specific objectives: 1) to evaluate current shrimp health management practices in the region by conducting biosecurity audits of all existing shrimp farms and identify the key risk factors; 2) to set up farm-specific bimonthly surveillance program in two major shrimp facilities; 3) to promote the awareness of biosecurity in the region via various means of education, and to prepare and distribute a comprehensive summary report to aquaculture stakeholders and the corresponding government agencies. Biosecurity audits were conducted for seven shrimp farms/facilities in the region. The strengths and risks of each shrimp facility were evaluated and suggestions were also provided. During the biosecurity audit, shrimp samples were taken and analyzed to identify the presence of any infectious shrimp disease. Based on the information collected from this project, four sessions are covered in this manuscript: 1) introduction and principles of health management; 2) current status of shrimp health management on Guam and CNMI; 3) challenges to improve biosecurity in Guam and CNMI; 4) future outlook and direction. The research effort serves as a useful tool for shrimp farmers in the region in terms of improving the health management of shrimp aquaculture
