Every living thing has to feed to survive. They either act as predators or become prey. Shrimps are preyed upon by birds. They preyed on shrimps and reduce the population of the livestock in the pond or water body. Shrimp farmers go through such losses on a yearly basis. They end up losing a large amount of their investment to predator attacks and because of poor management practices. Bird fencing should be checked daily, if any errors that should be corrected in time to protect the crop. It is necessary, because birds negatively affect shrimp production by transmitting or transporting diseases, weed seeds and parasites from pond to pond or from one facility to another.

Using plastic netting for growing shrimps is effective. Netting makes a great predator barrier.

• The feature of the net is that it is lightweight, durable, and a very easy-to-use barrier.
• It protects the shrimp against herons, egrets, and others.
• Birds such as crow/ water crow pick up the dead and moribund shrimps affected with viral disease from ponds and may drop unaffected ponds, thereby transmitting the virus mechanically. This could be avoided by using bird scares and bird fencing over the pond.
• Birds pick up the infected shrimp from one pond and drop into another pond and thus bird netting is to be installed to avoid cross-contamination from one pond to another.
• Nets used for protecting shrimps from birds come in different grades and have different hole size. The net should also be strong enough to withstand the weight and aggression of the birds. The aquaculture net is UV stabilized and has the capacity to withstand UV rays.
• Nets should also be placed properly to secure the entire pond completely. Birds would get aggressive and try to force their way through the net. A properly installed net would also withstand the pressure and weight of predators to give complete protection.
• Protecting shrimps from birds using nets is very effective. Many shrimp farmers who have problems with predator attacks reported success using a net to protect their shrimps.

Lithopenaeus vannamei is highly susceptible to a number of viral pathogens. Certain viral pathogens of shrimp, notably White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV), are transmitted from broodstock to postlarvae that are then stocked with the infection, increasing the likelihood of a serious profit-limiting disease outbreak. In order to eliminate the presence, the virus in the seed, Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) stock has been developed by producing a number of generations in highly biosecure facility with continued surveillance of pathogen presence.  

SPF status refers to the absence of specific pathogens from a population of shrimp. SPF shrimp are selected through a multigenerational process that includes strict quarantine and endless sampling – typically polymerase chain reaction and histopathology – for the presence of the pathogens of concern. The primary advantage to using SPF animals relates to the ability to control disease. One can expect to see other advantages over years to come, including real disease resistance, enhanced growth and stress resistance.

The specific pathogen free (SPF) Litopenaeus Vannamei has capacity to produce quality seeds with faster growth and higher survival rates for commercial farm. The status of SPF signify that the shrimps have passed through a rigorous quarantine and disease screening process that determined them to be free from specified pathogens of concern to culturists. They are repeatedly bred under controlled conditions to maintain their freedom from specific pathogens and the SPF designation itself is tested on a regular basis. Offspring of SPF shrimp are not considered SPF unless they are produced and maintained at an SPF facility.

Many farmers have been led to believe that SPF animals can solve all of their problems. For farmers thoroughly disen­chanted with the problems associated with trying to rear non-SPF P. vannamei, the success they enjoy by the shift to SPF P. vannamei has been nothing short of miraculous. However, this does not mean they can become complacent and ignore basic biosecurity rules.