White Spot In Prawns

[Captain Spanner]

So while we have known for quite a few years now that white spot disease in imported raw prawns is a risk to our waterways and prawn industry alike, once again the government has waited until the horse has disappeared into the sunset before strolling over to consider the idea of closing the gate. 

For those that don't know, some prawns from overseas carry a disease called white spot that somehow can still be transferred in a dead, raw, frozen prawn. When the infected prawn is put into a river or waterway the white spot disease can be released into the water and the local prawns can become infected. This is not recent news and it has been common knowledge amongst people who care that you shouldn't use the cheap imported green prawns for bait as this can be one way it could be introduced to a waterway or river system.

 Please see the link for the news article.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/01/06/11/53/import-ban-on-green-prawns

 

[Captain Spanner]

I couldn't remember if it was on here or somewhere else where someone posted a picture of a Hawkesbury prawn that they said had white spot. I wonder how long they would have let it run in if it didn't get into the commercially farmed prawns.

[BrassRoots]

It's so hard to keep the bio-security up when so much gets imported these days. This is a good move though and having only just found out about it myself I ask the rest of you, should it have been done sooner?

[Captain Spanner]

I got told years ago (I think over 10) by an older fisho at the RSL club not to use cheap imported prawns for bait because of white spot. So if he and the others at the club knew back then, surely others did. I think someone mentioned earlier or in the article that Darwin copped it in 2002. 

Coincidence something is only triggered once the commercial sector, being the prawn farms (tax money to be lost by the government) are effected?

[Jocler]

And once again, the politicians who make these decisions (even against public backlash) are not held responsible for those decisions.

If I made a decision of such consequence in my job, I would be dismissed, yet they will clean it up by sending the local industry to the wall with no compensation for their actions.

 

J

[Mullatt]

17 hours ago, Jocler said:

And once again, the politicians who make these decisions (even against public backlash) are not held responsible for those decisions.

If I made a decision of such consequence in my job, I would be dismissed, yet they will clean it up by sending the local industry to the wall with no compensation for their actions.

 

J

Spot on Jocler........our pollies as usual are absolutely disgraceful. Only concerned about what they can get for themselves!

Edited January 7, 2017 by Mullatt

[DMG]

This subject is currently all over the news and there is now a current ban on imported prawns til further notice.Some prawn farms in QLD have been temp shut down and prawns destroyed due to infection.

Edited January 7, 2017 by DMG