Sixteen crayfish and shrimp farms across the nation were found to have been infected with the Decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1), which was first found in China in 2014, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday, adding that there is no risk of human transmission.
A COA inspection of crayfish and shrimp farms nationwide from May 8 to May 21 found that 12 crayfish farms, three king prawn farms and one giant tiger prawn farm tested positive for the virus, COA Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) told a news conference in Taipei.
All crayfish, shrimp and prawns testing positive for DIV1 are to be disposed of, Huang said.
Photo courtesy of Pingtung County Government
Of the 16 farms, two king prawn farms are in New Taipei City, while the other king prawn farm and one giant tiger prawn farm are in Yilan County, Huang said.
Seven of the crayfish farms are in Pingtung County, and the rest are in New Taipei City and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Nantou and Yunlin counties, he added.
The council had notified customs to also test imported shrimp and prawns for DIV1, Huang said.
Photo: CNA
Most imported shrimp and prawns come from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, he said, adding that while there have been reports of DIV1 infection in the three countries, the origin of the virus is unknown.
Taiwan is the second country to have confirmed cases of DIV1, he said.
The council has five more farms to collect samples from to meet its quota of 130 farms, he said.
It estimates that the crayfish, shrimp and prawn industry grosses more than NT$4 billion (US$134.9 million) per year.
The council will compensate farms for the crayfish, shrimp and prawns destroyed due to DIV1, while the Fisheries Institute and the Animal Health Research Institute will aid farmers in rehabilitating their ponds, Huang said.
Huang suggested that aquafarmers start the rehabilitation process by raising fish, or draining their ponds for six months to a year before raising crayfish, shrimp and prawns again.
The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine on Wednesday said that there is no cure for DIV1 and that the virus also contaminates the water in ponds.
There is no risk of animal-to-
human transmission of DIV1, which does not affect food safety, the bureau said, adding that none of the contaminated ponds shipped mature crayfish, shrimp or prawns to the market.
The bureau said it was not ruling out the possibility that the ponds were infected by migratory birds, or that the shrimp fries imported from abroad were contaminated before they were purchased, the bureau said, adding that the council is doing everything to contain the spread of DIV1.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A new poll of Taiwanese voters found the top opposition candidate for president jumping past the ruling party’s hopeful into the lead position ahead of January’s election — the latest twist in a drama-filled race. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had an approval rating of 31.9 percent versus 29.2 percent for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the poll released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed. The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), ranked third with 23.6 percent, according to the survey conducted
A New Taipei City hotpot restaurant could be fined after a rat dropped from the ceiling and landed on a customer’s plate last week, the New Taipei City Department of Health said yesterday after conducting an inspection. A woman recently posted on the “I am a Banciao resident” (我是板橋人) social media group saying that she had been eating with a friend at Chien Tu Shabu Shabu Hotpot Restaurant’s Shuangshi B branch in Banciao District (板橋). “While still eating, a big rat suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on a plate next to a hotpot,” she said. “Later on, a member of
Actress Hu Ling (胡伶) on Saturday became the first Chinese movie star to walk the red carpet of the Golden Horse Awards since 2019, when China boycotted Taiwan’s biggest awards show over political tensions. Beijing banned its entertainers from joining the awards, dubbed the Chinese-language Oscars, after documentary director Fu Yu (傅榆) voiced support for Taiwan’s formal independence in an acceptance speech in 2018. There were no films from China in the 2019 nomination list and several Hong Kong movies dropped out that year, while several big commercial productions were conspicuously absent at both the 2020 and 2021 awards. However, Hu, nominated for
RSS