Samples of native shrimp and fish taken from streams and ditches around Ceatech USA, Inc.’s Kekaha farm tested negative for the white spot symptom virus, according to a Ceatech spokesperson. Dr. Paul Bienfang, Ceatech’s senior vice president, said that samples
Samples of native shrimp and fish taken from streams and ditches around Ceatech USA, Inc.’s Kekaha farm tested negative for the white spot symptom virus, according to a Ceatech spokesperson.
Dr. Paul Bienfang, Ceatech’s senior vice president, said that samples of shrimp taken from Ceatech sedimentation basins — some of which drain into nearby Kinikini ditch — also tested negative for the virus.
“It’s very good news,” Bienfang said.
The test results were issued by the state Department of Agriculture, and were based on tests conducted at the University of Arizona’s Department of Veterinarian Science and Microbiology.
There was some concern among local scientists and residents that the virus, which was fatal to the shrimp at Ceatech’s Kekaha farm, might travel from sedimentation basins and into local ditches and streams.
“Subsequent sampling confirmed that shrimp taken from Ceatech’s sedimentation basin did not contain WSSV,” read a letter from Bienfang to The Garden Island. The letter was signed by three other Ph.D.-holding experts.
“Moreover, samples of mosquito fish, Aholohole and crabs sampled from the canal downstream of the farm were also negative for WSS virus,” the letter read. “That means that sampling from the aquatic setting immediately adjacent to, and directly downstream of the farm failed to show presence of the WSS virus.”
Last month, Ceatech destroyed and buried some 20 million shrimp in its effort to rid the farm of the virus. Those efforts resulted in revenue losses of between $1 to $2 million, according to Bienfang.
Bienfang said Ceatech is still unsure how the situation would affect Ceatech’s 40 or so employees, but was optimistic that they wouldn’t force Ceatech to close or move its Kaua’i operations. Ceatech is the largest shrimp-farming operation in the state.
“We are in the process right now of reacting to all of the aspects of this incident,” he said.
According to an April 29 letter sent to The Garden Island, Ceatech contends that the virus had been detected in Hawaii in imported frozen or uncooked shrimp long before Ceatech’s discovery of the virus at their farm.
But the Hawaii Department of Agriculture reported that the outbreak was the first in the state to be detected in Hawaii’s shrimp farming industry.
Ceatech also contends that the virus does not live long in water and is transmitted host-to-host among crustaceans, and not through human waste or handwashing. According to Dr. James Foppoli, veterinarian with the state Deparment of Agriculture, the virus lives no longer than 48 hours outside a host.
Ceatech approximated that their shrimp had been infected since April 1. It takes 15 days for the first signs of mortality to show, read the Ceatech report. Ceatech noticed “abnormalities” in early April, sent samples to a lab and received notice back from the lab of the infection April 14, at which time they notified state and federal authorities.
Business Editor Phil Hayworth can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) and phayworth@pulitzer.net
