So far, only one wild Texas shrimp has been detected with 'White Spot,' and subsequent tests on shrimp from the same area have not shown the disease. While detecting even one infected shrimp is statistically significant in our sampling regimen, the situation is by no means a crisis. Texas shrimp farms are some of the largest in the country, with some five times more production acres than the second ranked state, South Carolina.
Shrimp farmers prefer exotic species to natives because they do better in mariculture settings.
Disease outbreaks are a primary concern for farm operators because they have the potential to wipe out an entire crop of shrimp. Exotic shrimp species bring exotic diseases with them. Because of their location in coastal areas and the potential for disease transmission by birds, escapement, and other vectors there is concern that these diseases might affect native species. Besides shrimp farms, there are other potential sources of exotic disease transmission, such as plants that process shrimp brought in from overseas. Scientists have found exotic viruses in frozen shrimp from processing plants, and because of the high volumes of material these plants process, there is a risk that they could transmit exotic diseases to public waters, either through water discharged from the plants or through waste materials taken to landfills that are then carried away by birds.