Development of the shrimp industry in the Western Indian Ocean - a holistic approach of vertical integration, from domestication and biosecurity to product certification

The shrimp farming industry in the western Indian Ocean started with Aqualma’s project in 1989, and now several companies farm shrimp in the Mozambique Channel. Despite the remoteness of these projects and their high investment and operating costs, they compete in the global marketplace by efficiently producing high value quality products. To address sustainability and biosecurity issues, Aqualma developed domesticated specific pathogenfree (SPF) broodstock of Penaeus monodon from western Indian Ocean stocks, which have been its exclusive source of post-larvae since 2003. Specific molecular diagnostic tools have been developed for each endemic pathogen detected since 1996, and these are used for routine surveillance of Aqualma’s shrimp stocks along with histology. Biosecurity has become a major issue due to the inherent risk associated with semi-intensive farms and development of more projects in the zone. Introduction of exotic and endemic pathogens into the farms by infected wild fauna is a real concern, and reinforced biosecurity procedures are in place to mitigate this at Aqualma. Quality management through ISO 9001 helped in achieving capacity building on biosecurity. There is also a need for a national and regional level veterinary surveillance program for shrimp diseases with support from international organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) andthe World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). In order to secure our investment and sustain the industry worldwide, we intend to participate in its safe development