White spot has been confirmed in seafood samples from Southeast Queensland, Australia, more than three years after it was first detected in the region.

“This is not the result we wanted to see but we will get through this and now, more than ever, we should be supporting our local seafood industry,” said Mark Furner, Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries. “Biosecurity Queensland will review all prawn farms to ensure future on-farm biosecurity management is appropriate in dealing with this new detection,” Furner said. “This is the second year back in production for three shrimp farms but the first time that white spot has been detected again on-farm.”

The disease devastated seven Queensland shrimp farms in 2016 and cost the industry almost $400 million.