Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00094:schedule:3:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00094
Segment Type: schedule
Provision Reference: sch 3 (pt 2/3)
Character Range: 11182–14137

has been demonstrated:
– Whole carcases: retain infectivity for six days at 25.5 – 28.8°C (Wang et al. 2002);
– Heads: retain infectivity for at least 14 days at 27°C (Prior and Browdy 2002);
– Tails: retain infectivity for at least 28 days at 27°C (Prior and Browdy 2002).

Likelihood of exposure of WSSV with dried prawns and shelf-stable prawn-based food products
The 2009 IRA considered that shelf-stable products and dried prawns, had a sufficiently low likelihood of exposure to susceptible hosts compared to raw prawn products:
     "Shelf-stable food products containing prawns such as dried prawns, canned prawns or condiments containing prawns as an ingredient (e.g. prawn balachan, shrimp paste) are considered to pose a negligible risk because they are highly unlikely to come into contact with live crustaceans in Australia." (p 176)
 Since the publication of this statement in the 2009 IRA, which underwent both peer review by an eminent scientists group and public consultation opportunities, no new information has come to light to contradict this assessment.
 Preparing prawns for human consumption in a dried or shelf-stable form is considered an effective risk mitigation measure, rendering them highly unlikely to come into contact with live crustaceans. Consequently, dried and shelf-stable prawn preparations are unlikely to represent a direct pathway for the introduction of aquatic animal pathogens into an aquatic environment. No specific studies were identified investigating the potential pathway for shelf-stable products or dried prawns to access exposure groups of concern.
– Two national surveys of Australian recreational fishermen (Kewagama reports, 2002 and 2007) investigated the use of uncooked aquatic animals (or parts thereof) as bait or berley. 'Uncooked' products investigated in the survey included dried or salted preparations, but neither survey identified such products for human consumption as being used by recreational fishers.
 Several online fishing forums indicate that dried prawns are considered unsuitable for bait. Ornamental fish keepers do report feeding dried shrimp to aquarium fish. Prawns are bottom feeders and while commercial feeds are specifically designed to sink, dried prawns for human consumption do not, so are considered unsuitable for crustacean feed. Furthermore, were they to be used in the aquatic environment, their propensity to float means they would be very unlikely to be targeted by and exposed to susceptible species.
 Dried and shelf-stable prawns present a lower biosecurity risk compared with uncooked fresh or frozen prawns, regardless of how shelf-stability has been achieved (likelihood of entry). The longevity of such products enables their storage for periods in excess of those explored in the infectivity studies outlined above. If viable virus is present in dried prawns, its ability to persist for the shelf life of the product is unknown. Any viable virus