MONRE has released the Circular No 22 which has taken effects since August 15, which lists white leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and Pacific Ocean Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) as the exotic species which may harm native species.
Right after the circular release, MARD has sent a dispatch to MONRE, asking to weed out the two species from the list of the exotic species harmful to native species and stressing that the ministry would accept dialogues to defend its viewpoints.
However, MONRE, once again, has rejected the proposal by MARD. In the reply to MARD dated August 15, MONRE’s Deputy Minister Bui Cach Tuyen emphasized that the ministry has made the decision only after thorough consideration and reference to the research works and recommendations by domestic and foreign institutions.
The ministry has said that MARD should give evidences to prove that white shrimp needs to be excluded from the list of exotic species harmful to native species.
According to MONRE, the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO has given the warning that white leg shrimp has established populations in the nature which may compete with native species; therefore, it is necessary to keep cautious with them.
Especially, MONRE believes that white leg shrimp is the host which bears the virus causing Taura syndrome, also known as red-tail disease. In Indonesia, Australia and Sri Lanka, white shrimp hatchery is still allowed, but on a limited scale, while the Philippines and Malaysia prohibit white shrimp hatchery.
Besides the virus causing Taura syndrome, white leg shrimp is believed to bear many other types of viruses such as WSSV, BP, IHNV, REO, LOVV and TSV – the diseases which might have spread out to native shrimp species. In Vietnam, since 2001, the red-tail disease has been found at some shrimp ponds in Hai Phong and Nam Dinh.
Nevertheless, MARD has been insisting on the plan to continue white leg shrimp hatchery. MARD’s Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu has affirmed that her ministry would continue discussing with MONRE on the exclusion of white leg shrimp from the list of harmful exotic species.
“If MONRE does not agree, we will report to the Prime Minister for final decision,” Thu said.
Thu went on to say that the warning about the risks to be caused by white leg shrimp has led to the modest cultivated area in Vietnam and the low output, which cannot meet the demand in the world.
In the past, MONRE also gave warning about the exotic carp species, but in fact, it does not do harm, but has become a native species.
She has also stressed that to date, Taura virus has not been found in Vietnam, while other types of diseases prove to be even more dangerous.
Many countries in the world have decided to consider white leg shrimp as the key shrimp hatchery subject in the seafood development program. In Thailand, for example, 90 percent of bred shrimp are white leg shrimp.
“Farmers should keep calm to continue breeding white leg shrimp,” Thu said.
Meanwhile, Vu Dinh Dap, Deputy Head of the Aquatic Culture Research Institute III thinks that scientists still need more time to give convincing scientific evidences to prove the impacts of the white leg shrimp hatchery on the environment.
Dap said that the white leg shrimp may have had impacts in the world, but this does not mean that the impacts will also surely occur in Vietnam.
Though Dap has affirmed that scientists have not found the disease infection between white leg shrimp and black tiger shrimp, he believes that it is necessary to isolate the white leg and black tiger shrimp hatchery areas.
Lan Anh
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