Anakapalli Fisheries Department Probes Mass Fish Mortality in Boyapadu

Visakhapatnam: The Anakapalli fisheries department has initiated an inquiry into a sudden fish mortality incident reported in Boyapadu village of Nakkapalli mandal under the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD).

Acting on reports of fish deaths, fisheries officials conducted a field inspection under the guidance of the State Institute of Fisheries Technology (SIFT), Kakinada. District fisheries personnel supervised the exercise and collected samples of dead fish and water from the affected site.

The samples have been sent to the SIFT laboratory for analysis to determine the cause of the mortality.

As part of the surveillance programme, officials also collected samples from shrimp ponds in Bangarammapeta and Pentakota to test for pathogens, including Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV).

Officials said the measures were aimed at strengthening disease surveillance, enabling early detection of aquatic animal diseases and providing timely technical guidance to farmers to prevent outbreaks.

The NSPAAD programme focuses on monitoring aquatic animal health and promoting sustainable aquaculture while protecting the livelihoods of fish and shrimp farmers.

The inspection team comprised P. Kiran Kumar, assistant director of fisheries; N.N. Chaitanya, young professional-II; P. Srinivas, junior consultant; Shivaji, village fisheries assistant; J. Purnima, village fisheries assistant from D.L. Puram; and K. Trinadh Babu, village fisheries assistant from Pentakota.