Country Reports

Australia

Lobster Harvest, Pty., Ltd.

In the state of Western Australia, Lobster Harvest, Pty., Ltd., will receive a $1.8 million federal grant to study the farming of Moreton Bay bugs (Thenus orientalis, a slipper lobster) and the tropical rock lobster (Panulirus ornatus).

Source: FisheNews (an email supplement to Austasia Aquaculture magazine).  Editor, Tim Walker (austasiaaquaculture@netspace.net.au).  Grant for Propagation of Lobster Species.  April 8, 2008.

Belize

Nauplius to PL-12 with a Survival Rate of 65%

At the World Wildlife Fund’s Shrimp Dialogue Meeting in Belize on April 1-2, 2008, I chatted with Hank Bauman, hatchery manager at Paradise Shrimp Farms, a 700-acre shrimp farm on the central coast of Belize.  Hank got some unusually good production from a recent hatchery run.  He stocked eight, ten-ton tanks with 3.6 million nauplii (Penaeus vannamei) each and got an average survival of 65%, just over 2.3 million PL-12s per tank, or 230 per liter.  He said: “We fed the PLs an adjusted diet early on to help satisfy their aggressive, cannibalistic nature at that stage of their life, and increased the water exchange...among a couple other changes.  I’m still kind of new to P. vannamei, but I’m learning.  If you had told me this was possible three years ago, I would never have believed it.  ...It’s amazing.”

Information: Hank Bauman, Paradise Shrimp Farms, Mile 30 Coastal Road, P.O. Box 186, Dangriga Town, Stann Creek District, Belize (email hank_bauman55@yahoo.com).

Sources: 1. Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, April 2, 2008.  2. Email to Shrimp News International from Hank Bauman on April 10, 2008.

Brunei

SPF Monodon Project

On March 29, 2008, at the Sixth Aquaculture Seminar organized by the Brunei Fisheries Department, Dr. George Chamberlain, co-owner and technical director of Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI), a consulting company that is developing specific pathogen free (SPF) giant tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) for Brunei, announced that SPF broodstock would be available in September 2008.  In addition, IAI is developing genetically improved postlarvae, high-performance feeds and sustainable farming systems for Brunei.

During the seminar, Dr Chamberlain said that shrimp farmers in Brunei need to “produce large, high-value shrimp for premium markets.”  Plans to acquire Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and EU Certifications are also in the pipeline for Brunei’s farmed shrimp.

Source: BruneiDirect.com.  Monodon Project to Boost Local Shrimp Industry.  Izam Said Ya’akub.  March 31, 2008.

Brussels

GLOBALGAP Standards for Shrimp

GLOBALGAP is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe.  It focuses on food safety, animal welfare and environmental and social sustainability.  On April 23, 2008, at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, it will launch its standards for sustainable shrimp farming.

Information: Claudia Meifert (meifert@globalgap.org), Public Relations and Committees, and Dr. Kristian Moeller, Managing Director, GLOBALGAP c/o FoodPLUS GmbH, Spichernstr. 55, 50672 Koeln, Germany (phone 49-0-2-21-5-79-93-82, webpage www.globalgap.org)

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Claudia Meifert at GLOBALGAP on April 15, 2007.

Canada

Alberta Shrimp Farms

In the heart of western Canada’s cattle country, John Tremblay (41) and his father Robert (74) are wrangling a new kind of stock—marine shrimp.  “The neighbors think we’re crazy.  People can’t believe we’re doing this in Alberta,” says John.  The Tremblays are farming the western white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) in a greenhouse enclosed, recirculating system near Strathmore, Alberta [51° north latitude, making this farm the northernmost shrimp farm in the world].

The Tremblays’ involvement with shrimp farming started with previous jobs in the water treatment business.  In 1999, they were asked to help with water treatment at shrimp farms in southeast Asia that were plagued with disease.  That initial exposure sparked an interest in shrimp farming, and they began to research the possibility of shrimp farming in Canada.  John has been working on the project full-time for six months.  He uses auto feeders that feed the shrimp five times a day, saying, “The potential is huge.”

Source: Calgary Herald.  Shrimp thriving in Strathmore.  Cailynn Klingbeil.  March 28, 2008.

China

Charoen Pokphand Foods Gets Shrimp Ready for Olympics

Charoen Pokphand Foods is preparing to supply tons of food to the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, China, which begin on August 8, 2008.

“Chinese authorities have contacted the food industry around the globe to make sure it will have enough supplies for the Games,” said Pong Visedpaitoon, chief operating officer of Charoen Pokphand Foods, the flagship company in the CP Group.

Twenty-nine years ago the CP Group became the first foreign company to start operations in China.  Now it is one of the largest investors in the country, and nearly 40% of its global revenue of $14 billion comes from China.  CPF has a $3-million shrimp hatchery business in China under the name CP Aquaculture (Dongfang), Co., Ltd.

According to Pong, since late 2006 the company has been building the CP brand in Hong Kong and Macau after supplying chicken, rice, shrimp and eggs in bulk to the market for several decades.

Source: Bangkok Post.  Business/CP’s China unit hopes to win gold medal from Olympics.  Walailak Keeratipipatpong.  April 9, 2008.

India

Tax Break

Following a decree from the director general of foreign trade, shrimp exporters will be eligible for a duty repayment of 3.5% on their freight costs.  Anwar Hashim, national president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India, said that the exporters should pass the benefits on to shrimp fishermen and shrimp farmers.

Source: LiveMint.com (The Wall Street Journal).  Shrimp in agri garb sees boost in exports.  Ajayan.  April 3, 2008.

Japan

The Whitespot Virus May Survive in Pond Soil for Over Ten Months

It appears that whitespot (or at least an amplifiable section of its DNA) persists in pond soil for a minimum of ten months.  This was discovered through two-stage PCR amplification of soil samples collected from a heavily infected shrimp farm in the Philippines.  Control samples from farms without whitespot did not have the whitespot amplicon.  The recovery of a section of DNA does not necessarily mean that it is infective.

Source: Genetic Computation Limited (free online summaries of aquaculture genetics research).  Editor, Roger Doyle (gcl@genecomp.com).  Hard-to-find papers.  Ut-oh! WSSV may survive in farm pond soil.  Item No. 658, March/April 2008.

Japan

Artemia Replacement

Abstract: In this study, the feed value of two cladocerans, Moina macrocopa and Diaphanosoma celebensis, were compared to Artemia in postlarval diets for Penaeus japonicus.  Fatty acid profiles revealed that cladocerans fortified with chlorella V12 had greatly enhanced eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid levels.  Postlarvae were fed fortified M. macrocopa and D. celebensis for 30 days with Artemia as a control.  The body length of shrimp fed cladocerans was significantly longer than those fed Artemia.  Survival rates were higher in shrimp fed the D. celebensis than those fed Moina macrocopa.  The fatty acid composition of the shrimp larvae changed in response to the fatty acid profile in their feeds.  These results implied that D. celebensis could be a suitable live feed replacement for Artemia.

Source: Aquaculture Science (Japan).  Two Cladoceran Species, Moina macrocopa and Diaphanosoma celebensis, as Live Feed for Larval Prawn, Penaeus japonicus.  Takashi Nakamoto (Fukuoka Fisheries and Marine Technology Research Center, Research Section, Fukuoka 819-0165, Japan), Isao Maruyama, Hiroshi Kimura, Yoshikazu Inada and Atsushi Hagiwara.  Volume 56, Number 1, Page 31, March 2008.

Japan

Would You Like Fries with That?

In Japan, McDonalds is offering a shrimp sandwich.

Source: Inventorspot.com.  McDonalds Japan Bucks Fast Food Trends with Big Fat Burgers.  Steve Levenstein.  April 2, 2008.

Japan

Maruha Corporation May Make Further Shrimp Acquisitions

On February 6, 2008, Maruha Corporation (fisheries and food processing) entered the shrimp farming business with the purchase of Agrobest, a shrimp farming company in Malaysia.  Maruha hopes to boost exports of Penaeus vannamei and P. monodon to the USA and Europe, although its present focus is on the Japanese market, says Masayuki Nakajima, a director of the company.  Maruha plans to produce large, head-on monodon as its primary product, along with 31/40 count, head-off (and possibly peeled) vannamei.  Nakajima said Maruha would consolidate its sales in Japan, Malaysian and Singapore before moving on to the USA and Europe markets because its current processing plant capacity is only 15 tons per day.

Agrobest has 200 workers at its processing plant and 600 on its shrimp farm, but it is considering increasing its workforce after introducing new production facilities.  Maruha views Agrobest as a stepping-stone to the expansion of its international shrimp sales and may make further business acquisitions, Nakajima said.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Maruha trying to boost shrimp sales to the U.S. and Europe.  John Sackton, Editor and Publisher (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  March 27, 2008.

New Zealand

Treat Hay Fever, Colds and Asthma with Shrimp Shells

BioPacificVentures has committed $10 million to Anzamune, a new company that is developing shrimp byproducts to treat hay fever.  It uses a fine white powder derived from North Atlantic shrimp shells that is delivered as a nasal spray to treat hay fever.  The product also has potential for treating colds, flu and asthma.  The product is currently undergoing phase-two human efficacy trials and will not hit the market until at least 2011.

In 2005, research at Oxford University in the United Kingdom by Peter Strong showed that material derived from shrimp shells could improve immunity and provide protection against allergens and infectious agents.

Source: The New Zealand Herald.  Deal for hay-fever medicine wins top industry award.  Owen Hembry.  April 1, 2008.

Panama

Probiotics Work

Luis Botero (botero_fernando@yahoo.com): On March 26, 2008, I visited a semi-intensive shrimp farm with earthen pond bottoms and a growout period of over 120 days in Panama that has been using probiotics for the last year or so. As a result of using probiotics, the owners say their pond bottoms are in excellent condition after every harvest and not covered with the black sludge they used to find.

Information: Luis Fernando Botero, 
Morrison Pump Company, 
Panama (phone 507-6670-4941). In the 
USA, Morrison Pump Company, P.O. Box 81-4414, Hollywood, Florida 33081 USA (phone 954-922-5880, fax 954-922-7729).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers). Subject: Probiotics. March 27, 2008.

United States

California—April Fools’ Day

No longer are brine shrimp confined to the pages of your old comic books.  Paramount Pictures has announced that Jim Carrey will play the lead role as the king of Artemia in a new film.  On March 31, 2008, Paramount spokesman Lance Boyle announced that the movie would begin filming in late summer 2008.  Boyle said, “We are very pleased to have Jim Carrey leading an all star cast in this hilarious comedy film.”  While he wouldn’t elaborate on the other actors in the film, Boyle commented further on Carrey’s involvement, saying, “Jim’s over-the-top acting style is perfect for this role.  It will certainly be a blockbuster comedy movie during the Christmas holiday in 2009.”

Source: ComicBookMovie.com.  Sea-Monkeys Movie Coming to the Big Screen.  Jim Littler.  March 31, 2008.

United States

Florida—Wanted 200 GPM Fluidized Bed Filter

Lorenzo Juarez (lorenzojuarez@yahoo.com): I am looking for a used 200 GPM fluidized sand bed biofilter in good operating condition and as close to South Florida as possible.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers).  Subject: Fluidized sand bed filter.  March 26, 2008.

United States

Maryland—Marvesta Shrimp Farms

At Marvesta Shrimp Farms, a greenhouse enclosed, zero-exchange shrimp farm in Hurlock, Maryland, owned by partners Scott Fritze, Guy Furman and Andy Hanzlik, an expansion is underway that should increase production fivefold.  Marvesta’s shrimp—never frozen—are delivered to a few select restaurants, most of them within a 150 mile radius of the farm.  Consumers can order shrimp from Marvesta via the Internet, shipped the same day as the order, provided that it arrives by 1:00 p.m.

Source: Unique Culinary Adventures.  Live Shrimp Updated and Close at Hand.  Jake Slagle.  March 26, 2008.

United States

Washington DC—Third Administrative Review of Dumping Duties

The Department of Commerce has received a request from the Louisiana Shrimp Association to conduct administrative reviews of the dumping duties on frozen warmwater shrimp from Brazil, Ecuador, India and Thailand.  The review will cover the period from February 1, 2007, to January 31, 2008.

Consequently, the Department has initiated administrative reviews of 43 companies in Brazil, 81 companies in Ecuador, 336 companies in India and 165 companies in Thailand.

The Department says: “We have not initiated administrative reviews with respect to those companies which the Department was unable to locate and for which no new information as to the party’s location was provided by the requestor.  We have...not initiated administrative reviews with respect to those companies we previously determined to be duplicates or to companies that no longer exist.”

For the full list of companies affected click here.

Information: Brazil, Kate Johnson at 202-482-4929; Ecuador, David Goldberger at 202-482-4136; India, Elizabeth Eastwood at 202-482-3874; and Thailand, Irina Itkin at 202-482-0656 (U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Import Administration, AD/CVD Operations, Office 2, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230 USA).

Source: GROWfish (Gippsland Aquaculture Industry Network, Inc.)  GROWfish eNewsletter (subscribehtml@growfish.com.au).  Adminstrative Reviews of shrimp anti-dumping orders.  April 7, 2008.

Vietnam

Dumping—Third Administrative Review

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has announced that hundreds of Vietnamese shrimp exporters have been named to the list of companies subject to tax reconsideration by the USA Department of Commerce (DOC) at the request of the Louisiana Shrimp Association.

The number and names of the companies on the list are not available yet.  The number of companies subject to the administrative review is not final because DOC has the right to limit the number of companies for review.

DOC will check Vietnam’s exports from February 1, 2007, to January 31, 2008.  Listed companies will have 30 days to prove to DOC that they did not dump shrimp.

DOC has released a preliminary conclusion on the second administrative review of the dumping tax on Vietnam’s warmwater frozen shrimp from February 1, 2006, to January 31, 2007, and reduced the tax rate on 28 companies to 0%.

Source: VietnamNetBridge.  DOC to reconsider anti-dumping taxes on Vietnamese shrimp companies.  H. Phuong.  April 9, 2008.

Vietnam

$216 Million for Water Supply Canals to Shrimp Farms

After nearly eight years of shifting from rice farming to shrimp farming, Ca Mau Province in the Mekong Delta has nearly 270,000 hectares of aquaculture ponds, mostly shrimp, while the area for rice farming has shrunk to around 120,000 hectares.

An irrigation system in Ca Mau delivers seawater to shrimp ponds that are inland from the coast; however, the saltwater system has caused problems in areas where rice is farmed so it will be revamped.

The number of inefficient shrimp farms is increasing as tens of thousands of hectares of ponds have remained dry because the irrigation waters do not reach them.

Two production areas have been established: 204,000 hectares in northern Ca Mau for freshwater aquaculture and rice farming and 314,000 hectares in southern Ca Mau where marine shrimp will be rotated with rice.  In the southern area, canals and embankments will be built so tidal water can be used for shrimp farming and rainwater can be trapped for rice farming.

According to engineer Nguyen Vinh Sang, project director in Ca Mau, the project will be carried out over the next 12 years at a cost of $261 million.

Source: Nhan Dan.  Ca Mau pays attention in irrigation system for effective agri-fisheries culturing.  Ngoc Quan.  April 3, 2008.

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