The University is leading an international project with the aim of understanding how the environment in India and Bangladesh can be utilised to help control the risk of disease in the countries’ respective fish and crustacean aquacultures.
With infectious disease outbreaks representing a key limitation in the expansion of a sustainable aquaculture industry, the project will centre around calculating the role which physical pond conditions play in controlling two socio-economically devastating pathogens currently affecting decapod crustaceans and freshwater fish in Asian aquaculture: White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Ulcerative Syndromes (EUS).
Jointly led by Southampton and the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (India), the consortium involves nine research institutes and universities in India, the UK and Bangladesh. Funding for the project has been provided through the Global Research Partnership Aquaculture.
Dr Chris Hauton, Associate Professor in Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton and Principal Investigator of the project, said:
“Currently, there is no effective means of controlling this globally significant pathogen that has been proven at farm scale. Our current best option is to understand how the environment controls disease progression in shrimp ponds, as a means to reduce the risk of infectious outbreak.”
“This knowledge, incorporated into guidelines for best management practice, will allow for the development of novel intervention strategies to be implemented in the future.”
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