Rodney Stevens
The highly contagious disease White Spot has been detected in an enclosed Palmers Island prawn farm prompting swift action from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness to stop it spreading.
First detected in Australia in prawn farms on the Logan River, south-east Queensland, in December 2016, White Spot is a highly contagious viral infection affecting crustaceans that can wipe out farmed prawn stocks.
Caused by the white spot syndrome virus, the disease which also affects crabs, yabbies and lobsters, was first detected in the wild in prawns and crabs in the northern part of Moreton Bay in early 2017.
Now endemic in wild prawn populations in the Moreton Bay area, White Spot, which poses no threat to human health, is believed to enter local ecosystems through the use of uncooked imported prawns as bait.
The Australian Government National Pest and Disease Outbreak was advised of the initial detection during routine testing.
“On August 18, 2022, white spot disease was detected in black tiger prawn broodstock at a biosecure facility on a prawn farm on the north coast of New South Wales,” they said.
“White spot disease was detected in mature adult prawns during routine health testing.
“Retesting was undertaken by the NSW Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute on August 20 and the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness confirmed the diagnosis of white spot syndrome virus on 23 August 2022.”
Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said the NSW Government put in movement restrictions to limit the risk of White Spot entering the state since the disease was first detected in Queensland.
“NSW DPI Authorised Officers have been working closely with the owners of the prawn facility and have overseen the destruction and disposal of all infected prawns in the facility,” he said.
“Decontamination activities are also underway to treat the site and stop any further spread.
“As the detection is within an enclosed facility, not outside in free water, we have confidence that the protocols in place have contained this detection and we don’t believe it will spread further.
“DPI is undertaking tracing and surveillance activities to try and identify the source of the White Spot and how it got into NSW.
“We have also notified other prawn farms in the area and have reminded them to be diligent with their biosecurity protocols.”
Australian Prawn Farmers Association executive officer Kim Hooper said they feared the disease would raise its ugly head again.
“The good news, if there is such a thing, though, is that this particular family-run farm has very strong biosecurity measures in place and the detection of white spot in the broodstock in the hatchery is because they’ve done everything right,” she told the ABC.
The farm was in a re-establishment phase after the devastating floods in February and March.
“They’ve built the farm back up again, put all these biosecurity measures back in again and then something like this happens,” Ms Hooper said.
“It is really devastating, and we just feel so much for them.”
How to keep White Spot out of local waterways:
* When selecting bait, use local and reputable bait shops or source your own bait from local waterways.
* Do not use seafood meant for human consumption for bait.
* Put all unwanted seafood rubbish in a bin, not the ocean or waterways.
* Keep your fishing gear, boat and trailer clean. Remove any bait debris and seaweed. Check trailer wheel arches, boat propellers, fishing tackle and footwear.
* Use soapy water to clean your boat, trailer, fishing rods and other equipment and allow them to completely dry before using them again.