WHITE SPOT DISEASE OUTBREAKS ON SHRIMP FARMS OF NORTHWESTERN MEXICO DURING THE SHRIMP PRODUCTION CYCLES OF SPRING-SUMMER OF 2007 AND 2008

This study aimed to delimit the spatiotemporal distribution of white spot disease (WSD) outbreaks on shrimp farms of northwestern Mexico. The WSD outbreaks during the shrimp production cycles of 2007-2008 are presented for regions ranging from Tuxpan, Nayarit in the south to Agiabampo, Sonora in the north. The spring WSD outbreaks on the shrimp farms exhibited a spatiotemporal distribution associated with three infections periods: (1) March-April in the southern shrimp-farming region (Local Aquaculture Health Boards [LAHBs] of Mazatlán, El Rosario, Escuinapa, Tecuala, and Tuxpan); (2) April-May in the central region (LAHBs of Navolato Norte, Navolato Sur, and El dorado); and (3) May-June in the northern region (LAHBs of Agiabampo-Sonora, Ahome, Guasave Norte, and Guasave Sur). The records were generally consistent between 2007 and 2008, with slight variations with respect to the onset or presence of spring WSD outbreaks being recorded in some LAHBs. The infection periods observed throughout the affected region are associated with the locations of the Mazatlán, Pescadero, and Farallón oceanographic basins and, possibly, with the differential increases in temperature within these basins.