Dr. Ricardo Pérez Enríquez

The following researchers, technicians, students, and institutions participated in the project: 

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR): Dr. Jorge Hernández, Dr. Francisco Magallón, B.S. Guillermo Portillo, Dr. César Escobedo, Dr. Ricardo Pérez, Dr. Celia Vázquez, Dr. Humberto Mejía, Dr. Lia Méndez, Dr. Pedro Cruz, Dr. Fabiola Arcos, Dr. Antonio de Anda, Dr. José Bustillos, Dr. Ana Ma. Ibarra, Dr. Alfonso Maeda, Dr. Ricardo Vázquez, Dr. David López Cortez, B.S. Erick J. Núñez Vázquez, M.S. Francisco Hernández Sandoval, M. S. Cristina Escobedo Fregoso, Dr. Gabriela de la Fuente Betancourt, B.S. Patricia Parrilla Taylor, Tech. Manuel Moreno Legorreta, Eng. Baudilio Acosta Vargas, B.S. Andrea García Gaertner, Dr. Alfonso Anguiano Vega, B.S. Raúl Llera Herrera, Emilie Bigaud Guerin, M.S. Martín Ramírez Orozco, M.S. Lilia Isabel Ibarra Martínez, M.S. Rene Rebollar Prudente, M.S. Griselda Peña Armenta, B.Chem.Eng. Baudilio Acosta Vargas, Dr. Amaury Cordero Tapia, Daniel Ceseña, Eng. Jose Luis Ramírez, Eng. Susana Avila, M.S. Fidencio Hernández, B.S. Daniel Coronado, M.S. Roxana Inohuye, M.S. Carmen Rodríguez.

Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación y Desarrollo Integral Regional(CIIDIR): Dr. Jesús Méndez, M.S. Diana Escobedo, Dr. Juan C. Sainz, M.S. Píndaro Álvarez, M.S. Héctor Esparza.

Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. (CIAD): M.S. Leobardo Montoya, Dr. Cristina Chávez Sánchez, Dr. Omar Calvario, Laboratorio de Residuos Tóxicos-Análisis de Plaguicidas

Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit (UAN): Dr. Norberto Vivanco, Dr. Ma. Jesús Durán.

Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON): Dr. Ramón Casillas, Dr. Cuauhtémoc Ibarra.

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM): Dr. Raúl Vargas García.

Universidad de Sonora (UNISON): Dr. Manuel Grijalva Chon.

Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR): Dr. Aída Martínez, M.S. Roxana de Silva, M.S. Raymundo Avendaño, M.S. Ricardo Palomares, Dr. Christine Band Schmidt.

Laboratorio Estatal de Salud Pública “Antonio Soberón y Parra” del Estado de Guerrero: Dr. Saúl López, Dr. MarioTacuba

Projects:

1. INTEGRAL PROGRAM FOR AQUACULTURE HEALTH IN SHRIMP. Principal Researcher: Dr. Ricardo Pérez Enríquez
2. INTEGRAL PROGRAM FOR AQUACULTURE HEALTH IN OYSTER.  Principal Researcher: Dr. Ricardo Vázquez Juárez
3. CROSSBREEDING ASSESSMENT BETWEEN DIFFERENT LINES OF JAPANESE OYSTER BY ESTABLISHING GENETIC DIFFERENCES AT MOLECULAR LEVEL AND BY THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITION AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN FATTENING. Principal Researcher: Dra. Ana Ma. Ibarra Humphries

Starting date:

January 2007

Aquaculture is the primary production activity with the largest growth in Mexico. Oyster and shrimp culture stand out with a value over $4 billion pesos and more than 15 thousand direct jobs. However, different external factors, where diseases predominate, have given rise to strong economic losses. In order to find solutions to the problems, the academic sector and aquaculture producers constituted the Innovation Consortium for Competitiveness of the Aquaculture Sector to integrate the academic work developed by different institutions such as CIBNOR (as coordinator), CIAD, CIIDIR-IPN, UA of Nayarit, ITSON, CICIMAR, and UNAM,  among others, jointly with shrimp and oyster producers of Northwest Mexico, through the State Aquaculture Health Committees of B.C.S. (CSABCS), Sonora (COSAES), Sinaloa (CESASIN), and Nayarit (CESANAY). The economic support of $16.6 million pesos from CONACYT, CONAPESCA, State Government of Sonora, and aquaculture producers was crucial to fulfill our goals.

These resources were focused on two main culture species in Mexico: shrimp and oyster. In the case of shrimp, the central axis of research lay on the health problem generated by the White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). In the case of oyster, one action line was related to innocuousness and the other to domestication and genetic improvement.

Shrimp. The objective of the project was to determine the factors and mechanisms involved in dispersion of the White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) disease and propose management alternatives for its prevention. The most relevant research products and results were the following:

• We defined the epidemiology of WSSV in Northwest Mexico identifying three well-defined temporal regimes of infection (March-April in Nayarit and southern part of Sinaloa, April-May in the central part of Sinaloa, and May-June in the northern part of Sinaloa and southern part of Sonora). With 10 years of virus existence and permanence in our country, we have determined different organisms that act as reservoirs and/or vectors, where plankton particles less than one micra are included, among others. However, the main elements of permanence are farms affected by the disease due to inadequate management of their tanks during culture cycle and intercycle periods.
• We developed an analysis methodology to 100% of larva production laboratory breeders that allowed determining that in the culture cycles of 2007 and 2008, the larvae produced were not the source of the virus that infected the culture farms in the areas affected by the WSSV.
• The mortality events by WSSV are strongly related to the combination of environmental factors as rising temperature (in the interval of 26-30ºC), decreasing oxygen, and intermittent hypoxia events. Mortality events decrease in hyperthermia conditions when temperature at dawn reaches 30ºC, but can be recurrent toward autumn after tropical events that induce low temperature, stressed by hyper-eutrophication processes of culture tanks.
• We designed and implemented the Exclusion management system for SEPAT pathogens  in the whole epidemic region, whose objectives are to avoid the entrance of pathogen agents to the production systems and lessen unfavorable impacts caused by epidemic events. SEPAT involves topics related to geographic cover, production laboratories for postlarvae, culture sowing density, contingency measurements before epidemic events, product and import management, management between annual culture cycles, and information systems.
• A genetic analysis revealed homogeneity of the  genetic diversity between laboratories with reproduction lots. The analysis also indicates that management programs for the breeders of each laboratory have been adequate in general to maintain a high density comparative to that observed in previous generations (2000-2002). However, we observed endogamy levels in a scale from low to medium that requires management to reduce accumulation.
• In the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, and Nayarit we detected important concentration of persistent organic compounds (POCs), such as lindane, which is not related to WSSV incidence, but its presence could put innocuousness of the product at risk. Concentration levels of heavy metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead) do not go over the allowed limits.
• We determined the potential of a biotechnological system to inhibit WSSV replication. For this purpose we induced gene silencing or RNA interference  (RNAi) in shrimp by using 4 structural and functional genes of the WSSV.

Oyster. In the case of oyster we worked on innocuousness and domestication of farmed oyster. Relevant products and results obtained were the following:

• A biomonitoring system was designed for heavy metals and pesticides in farmed oysters. The chemical analysis detected important concentrations of compounds deriving from pesticides, where lindane whose use is prohibited in Mexico stands out. This is why we issued the recommendation to perform frequent monitoring in oyster farms affected by the presence of these pollutants which could affect feeding innocuousness in oysters farmed in environmental areas at risk. As to heavy metals, with the exception of zinc and cadmium, the level of concentration of the other heavy metals that were studied (copper, nickel, lead) do not go over the limits allowed by the Mexican Official Norm (NOM).
• The necessary changes in CIBNOR laboratories and  infrastructure were performed in function of the crediting and/or certification requirements that SAGARPA, COFEPRIS, and EMA demand. CIBNOR obtained the certification from SAGARPA/SENASICA and formed part of the National Biotherium Net of the country as a conventional mixed biotherium. The techniques to determine toxins (domoic and saxitoxin acids) and cadmium in mollusks are in the crediting process by EMA and certification by COFEPRIS,
• A scientifically based document was delivered to COFEPRIS to support changes at the maximum levels allowed in cadmium reported by the Mexican official norms NOM-031-SSA1-1993 and 032-SSA1-1993. Based on this information, COFEPRIS integrated the project to modify the norm (PROY-NOM-242-SSA1-2005) published in D.O.F. on 25 August 2008.
• Experiments that validate the use of chromatography techniques were developed to quantify toxins of red tides in edible products, suggesting the possibility of their use as a supplement or substitute of the mouse bioassays referred to in  NOM-031-SSA1-1993.
• Technical staff from CIBNOR, CSABCS, and Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit were trained in identifying mollusk pathogens.
• A broodstock of Japanese oyster was developed based on three imported  and domesticated populations, which supply the laboratories for national larva and seed production, thus contributing to eliminate import. The environmental response of Northwest Mexico in the crossbreeding obtained is in the process of assessment.

Along with important advances in topics related with shrimp and oyster culture, the most relevant achievement has been the excellent liaison between the productive and academic context, in which more of the 30 researchers that participate are developing effective research directed to the solution of the problems set out by the industry.