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- WSSV In Crawfish May Not Be Problem For Louisiana
Robert Romaire, Mcclain, William R.
Dr. Robert Romaire, LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, said the white spot syndrome virus that struck numerous ponds earlier in 2007 may not be as much of a problem after all. He said research, partially funded by crawfish producers’ self-assessed fees, is being conducted to learn more about the disease.
But he said LSU AgCenter research ponds near Baton Rouge that tested positive for the disease in 2007 produced crawfish as well as ponds where it was not found.
He said two-thirds of Louisiana ponds sampled in 2007 were positive for the virus, and a third of crawfish from the Atchafalaya Basin tested positive also. Ponds will not be quarantined, he said.
Dr. Ray McClain, LSU AgCenter crawfish researcher, said crawfish are now producing young in a commercial pond where the virus had been found to have affected production.
“The pond appeared to have recovered somewhat,” McClain said. “The adult crawfish appeared to be healthy, and the offspring appeared to be healthy.”
He said apparently the virus may not be a problem until crawfish become stressed or environmental conditions trigger an outbreak, but researchers currently know little about this disease in crawfish.
McClain stressed that humans cannot get the virus.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture