WHITE spot disease has been confirmed in seafood samples from South East Queensland more than three years after it was first detected in the region.
Biosecurity Queensland did surveillance for white spot in Moreton Bay last month with mangrove swimming crabs returning “preliminary positive results”.
Subsequently samples from two prawn farms on the Logan River also returned positive test results.
These results were confirmed with testing by the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Victoria.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said white spot posed no threat to human health and Queensland seafood remained safe to eat.
“This is not the result we wanted to see but we will get through this and now more than ever we should be supporting our local seafood industry,” Mr Furner said.
“I hope everyone will back our Queensland seafood industry by buying it and enjoying it more than ever.”
Mr Furner said the Queensland government would work with the seafood industry, wild caught and farmed, impacted by this development.
“Biosecurity Queensland will review all prawn farms to ensure future on-farm biosecurity management is appropriate in dealing with this new detection,” Mr Furner said.
“This is the second year back in production for three prawn farms but the first time white spot has been detected again on-farm.”
Biosecurity Queensland representatives are holding meetings with members of the Aquatic Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Disease to discuss the new detections and ongoing management options for white spot.
White spot movement restrictions remain in place for raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms from Caloundra to the New South Wales border and west to Ipswich.
