Brazilian aquatic animal health policy

The potential for the development of aquaculture in Brazil is huge. Marine shrimp cultivation in Brazil began in the 1970s and grew rapidly to produce 90,190 tons in 2003. In 2004, several factors including disease, trade disputes, and devaluation of the Real caused the industry to collapse. The appearance of white spot disease demonstrated a lack of structure and organisation for responding to the problems involved in managing disease outbreaks. Interaction between the stakeholders involved needs to be organised and facilitated. Dissemination of information and economical stability are necessary for maintaining good practices and the sanitary security of production.