White Spot update
by Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW 27 Feb 2023 21:36 EST
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is continuing to monitor an outbreak of White Spot disease in prawns on the NSW North Coast.
White Spot was detected at a prawn facility in northern NSW on 12 February and confirmed by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) tests.
White Spot is a highly contagious viral infection affecting crustaceans, which can cause major mortality in farmed prawns - it poses no threat to human health and safety. DPI is currently testing for White Spot in the Clarence Estuary.
On 25 February 2023, White Spot was detected at a second prawn farm facility in northern NSW. This is in addition to the confirmed detection at a separate prawn facility reported to NSW DPI on 12 February 2023.
NSW DPI is working with each of the farms to support management of the detection. A formal biosecurity direction is in-place on farm to destroy and eradicate through accelerated salvage harvest and commencement of decontamination activities.
NSW DPI is continuing to work with the initial farm with the White Spot detection. Completion of depopulation and decontamination activities is expected by 28 February.
As mentioned in the previous update, preliminary results from wild surveillance indicated low level of White Spot DNA in a small number of prawn and crab samples. The significance of these results is unclear, and further wild surveillance is being implemented.
This additional surveillance is including offshore surveillance of wild prawns. There will also be further surveillance of prawns in the Clarence Estuary. The information gained from this is integral in informing forward management of this disease in NSW.
Following these recent developments and the pending surveillance results, NSW DPI will review the current Biosecurity Control Order which is due to expire 1 March 2023 and determine an appropriate longer term management approach.
DPI will continue to work with industry throughout this response.
More information is available online here, including a Frequently Asked Questions resource and a plain English interpretation of the Control Order.