Shrimp Surveillance &
Certification Program
(SSCP)
Allen C. Riggs DVM, MS
Veterinary Medical Officer
Aquaculture Development Program – Disease Prevention (ADP-DP)
Hawaii Dept of Agriculture (HDOA)
SSCP
Voluntary partnership between Hawaii
marine shrimp broodstock and seedstock
producers with the Hawaii Department of
Agriculture
3rd party oversight with chain of custody
sample collection and handling to USDAAPHIS certified crustacean diagnostic lab
SSCP Protocol Overview
The primary goal is for marine broodstock and
seedstock producers to acquire Specific
Pathogen Free (SPF) status for their facility
The Program is based on polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) testing protocols following OIE
guidelines for the 7 currently listed OIE marine
shrimp pathogens
24 months continuous negative testing is
required for SPF status
Origin of SSCP
Initial surveillance protocols were started in the late
1990’s for each operations internal biosecurity
This was not the standardized 3rd party HDOA program
of today but was a good starting point for several
reasons
Most important is this was a voluntary program that the
industry considered important and the cost/time involved
was worth the investment
This mindset facilitated the more structured current
SSCP program
International Import Regulations
Only recently have most international
countries required health certification and
specific pathogen testing documentation
for live marine shrimp broodstock and
seed stock to enter their countries
No uniformity but the current OIE
crustacean disease list is the best
template for a basic SSCP program
Marine shrimp life/farming cycle
Adult female
Fertilized egg
Nauplius larvae
Zoea larvae
Mysis larvae
day 0
day 0-5
day 1-2
day 2-7
day 7-10
stenohaline
PL (post-larvae)
Juvenile
Subadult
day 10-25
day 25-90
day 90-150
euryhaline
*Lightner – Shrimp Disease and Diagnosis - 2006
Hawaii Marine Broodstock Shrimp
12 marine broodstock shrimp producers currently in
operation on four islands in Hawaii ( Oahu, Molokai,
Kauai and Big Island )
Most important component of shrimp farming in Hawaii –
3+ Million dollar annual farmgate value
Typical marine broodstock shrimp is 11 -12 months old
with a reproductive life span of 3 to 6 months maximum
For intra-island, interstate( to mainland US), or
international export must have health certification and
specific pathogen negative status documentation
Hawaii Seedstock Shrimp
Again these 12 operations can also supply
seedstock to other broodstock producers or to
off-site commodity food shrimp producers
Typically PL after day 8 (osmoregulate) to day
25 are sold for growout stocking
For intra-island transfer to second party growout operations, interstate( to mainland US), and
international exports health certification and
specific pathogen negative testing
documentation is also required
SSCP Sampling Protocols
New Facility
Export Facility
SPF Facility
Tissues sampled: hemolymph, pleopods, and fecal
strands for survival methods with broodstock
Whole or partial PL for lethal methods with smaller
animals
Only one shrimp farm/site is visited per 24 hours to allow
for adequate disinfection of staff/equipment
SSCP- SPF shrimp definition
The SSCP definition for SPF shrimp refers to a stock that is subject
to a regular PCR surveillance program for the 7 current OIE listed
marine shrimp pathogens with a minimum of 24 months continuous
testing
USDA-APHIS certified lab to diagnose crustacean diseases must be
used
OIE guidelines for surveillance protocols to be followed
No farm submitted surveillance samples …only ADP/HDOA 3rd party
chain of custody sample collection used in the SSCP
No requirements for biosecurity or husbandry type in this definition
New Facility
Site specific
Test schedule will be months 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months
A total number of 60 shrimp will be tested for all 7 listed diseases – 95%
confidence/ 5% prevalence for populations up to and over 100,000 shrimp
( Section 3.2 Diagnosis in subclinical crustacean carriers: Manual of Dx
Tests for AA - 2006)
Sampling regime includes all life stages on site
Shrimp used to stock this facility must originate from a SPF facility
Virus Group
Vial
BP/MBV
A1-12
TSV/YHV/IMNV
B1-12
IHHNV/WSSV
C1-12
System
Species
Life Stage
Tissue
Export Status Facility
Site specific
Successful completion of three negative sample sets in the New farm
program – months 1, 3, and 6
Facility now allowed to ship/export live shrimp with health documents
SPF language not used to describe stocks
Testing will continue at months 12, 18, and 24 with the 60
shrimp/sample set to acquire SPF certification
Virus Group
Vial
BP/MBV
A1-12
TSV/YHV/IMNV
B1-12
IHHNV/WSSV
C1-12
System
Species
Life Stage
Tissue
Specific Pathogen-Free Facility
Site specific
Shrimp used to stock this facility site must originate from a SPF facility
Testing schedule will continue every 6 months
Total number of shrimp tested can be reduced to 30 animals
(Section 3.3 Testing for verification or maintenance of freedom from specific
diseases: Manual of Dx Tests for AA – 2006)
Sampling regime includes all life stages on site
SPF language added to health certification reports
Virus Group
Vial
BP/MBV
A1-6
TSV/YHV &
IMNV
B1-6
IHHNV/WSSV C1-6
System Species
Life Stage
Tissue
Industry/State Partnership: Industry
Costs
True partners share both costs and benefits in a
business relationship
The shrimp producer in the SSCP is responsible
for all the PCR testing fees:
SPF operations testing 30 shrimp for each of the
7 currently listed OIE diseases is
$972.00/sample set every 6 months or
$1944.00/year ( current University of Arizona –
Aquatic Pathology Laboratory prices)
Industry/State Partnership: Industry
Costs
For New Farms or Export Status Farms working toward
SPF Certification, the 60 animal sample set for each of
the 7 currently listed OIE diseases must be followed
The cost per sample set is $1944.00
Year 1 with 4 sample sets (months 1, 3, 6, and 12) is
$7776.00
Year 2 with 2 sample sets ( months 18 and 24) is
$3888.00
Industry/State Partnership: State
Costs
ADP-DP is responsible for all costs involved in ADP-DP
staff traveling to each SSCP farm site for chain of
custody documentation, both on Oahu and the outer
islands: airfare, rental car or state vehicle costs
ADP-DP staff time is covered by HDOA budget
ADP-DP provides all necessary vials, fixatives and
collection instruments and covers shipping costs to UAZAPL
The ADP-DP/HDOA component of the SSCP is a 100%
Hawaii State funded program
Future challenges/questions
When to add emerging diseases to SSCP
NHP – Necrotizing hepatopancreatitis
This disease is under study by OIE and
likely to be listed in the future
When to remove delisted diseases from the
SSCP (BP and MBV). Many countries still
require surveillance data on these two
diseases for live shrimp imports