Shrimp Virus Discovered At Hawaiian Shrimp Farm - AP

[hatrack]

LIHUE, Hawaii - "Despite measures taken to quarantine a virus at a Kauai shrimp farm, the disease could spread to native crustaceans and ultimately harm the reef ecosystem, state officials said. The state Department of Agriculture quarantined Ceatech USA, Inc.'s shrimp farm in Kekaha after white spot syndrome virus, which causes serious disease in crustaceans, was discovered earlier this month.

The virus is highly contagious and fatal to sea life, but poses no threat to humans, even if infected shrimp are eaten, the state said. The disease has been reported in Japan, China, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines and in Central and South America, agriculture officials said, but never before in Hawaii.

Ceatech workers last week voluntarily began draining all 48 ponds into Kinikini Ditch, and burying 20 million dead shrimp. Some believe that may not be enough to stop the virus.

"From what I've seen, their remediation efforts are like putting lipstick on a corpse," said Don Heacock, Kauai district aquatic biologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Dr. James Foppoli, the state's veterinarian, said the problem is that the virus lives in water, and Ceatech has been draining its effluent for years into Kinikini Ditch, which runs into various streams and rivers before reaching the ocean. Recent draining mean those discharges were at an all-time high before they stopped on Thursday, he said."

EDIT