Not Your Father’s FDA

A New Strategy for Inspecting Shrimp Imports

Mike Leavitt, Secretary of the USA Department of Health and Human Service, the parent agency of the Food and Drug Administration, blogs:

I mentioned at the end of my previous blog in this series on import safety that FDA’s role in global trade will be changing.  FDA’s work is often underappreciated in the United States.  Nations around the world, however, recognize FDA as the “gold standard” when it comes to food and drug safety.  Under Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach’s leadership, FDA is building on that “gold standard” by reaching out to new frontiers and globalizing the FDA.

In China, FDA is opening offices in three cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.  We are currently negotiating to do the same in India and have plans for additional FDA offices in multiple areas of Latin American, Europe, and the Middle East.

The origin of all product standards, certification and inspection of goods does not need to start with FDA; it can start with the industry as it did with shrimp.

This is a fundamental shift in government’s role.  The 21st century role of FDA is as convener and arbiter as well as verifier and enforcer.

Will FDA be an aggressive enforcement entity?  Yes.  FDA’s enforcement resources will be better funded and more focused on the producers who have not demonstrated trustworthiness.

Will FDA be adopting safety standards as a regulator?  Yes.  But we will encourage industry to collaboratively develop standards for FDA to review.  If they don’t meet the scientific rigor, we won’t accept them until they do.

While the United States is the largest economic player in the food and drug market, there are other nations with excellent systems in which we have great confidence.  In the past, each nation has conducted separate inspections.  The result is great redundancy as several countries inspect the same plant—for essentially the same things, while too much time lapses between visits.

We are going to change that.

I announced recently a policy initiative where FDA will work more closely with foreign regulators who have systems of inspection and regulation we trust.  The principle will be collaborative information gathering and individual decision making.

As part of that effort, FDA has initiated a pilot project with our colleagues in the European Union and Australia to jointly plan, allocate and conduct international pharmaceutical inspections.  This will begin with inspections of active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing.  These are the “starting products” of many of the medicines we all use.

Through this new collaboration, FDA and these trusted colleagues can spread our inspection net wider by leveraging our respective resources.  We will be inspecting some, the Australians others, the European Union still others.  We will then share information.  This just makes good sense.  Facilities will be inspected more often and we can all focus more resources on those products that present higher risk.

This is a very exciting vision: common standards, common certification and shared inspections.  Safer products.  Lower costs.

Finally, we need the private sector to step up big-time to initiate, lead and participate in the development of consensus-based standards and independent certification.  You have a responsibility to your consumers and to the integrity of your industry.

I will conclude this series in my next entry, sharing my final thoughts on how, together, we have a unique opportunity to influence the future of product safety.

Source: Mike Leavitt, Secretary of the USA Department of Health and Human Service.  His blogsite.  Safety at the Speed of Life—Blog 6.  July 28, 2008.

Country Reports

Australia

The “Ban” on Raw Shrimp Imports

In an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Dr. Andrew Carroll, Australia’s chief veterinarian, and Harry Peters, President of the Australian Seafood Importers Association, discussed the country’s “ban” on raw shrimp imports.

The Australian Seafood Importers Association is demanding that the ban on shrimp imports be lifted after confirmation that one of the diseases that the ban was supposed to stop was discovered on two shrimp farms in northern Queensland.

Dr. Andrew Carroll: We’re currently looking at other shrimp farms to see if they have the virus [IHHN].

It’s important to stress that shrimp imports aren’t “banned”; they’re subject to testing, and this is one of the four viruses that shrimp imports are tested for.  We’re currently in what we call the incident definition phase, trying to determine how widespread the virus might be, whether it’s in wild populations as well as on shrimp farms.  Then we’ll decide how we might respond to that because the decision might be made to eradicate or control the virus, in which case it’s unlikely that Biosecurity Australia would make changes to the import conditions.

Harry Peters: What I am concerned about is the length of time that it will take the government to carry out its testing of the shrimp farms.  In the meantime, importers are being subjected to an extremely expensive testing regime and quite frankly the Australian government should have carried out this work well before any bans were put in place.

Peters says it’s likely a World Trade Organization challenge—led by Thailand—will go forward.  Thailand, together with China, Malaysia, India and possibly the Philippines, are planning some sort of World Trade action.

Source: ABC Radio Australia.  Prawn virus found in Australia.  August 12, 2008.

Australia

The Terpenoid Hormone Methyl Farnesoate

Abstract: There is mounting evidence that the terpenoid hormone methyl farnesoate (MF) plays important roles in regulating reproductive processes in crustaceans.  To gain further information on its roles and possible modes of action, MF was orally administered to ablated Penaeus monodon at a concentration of 5.5 μg per gram of diet, and then a range of reproductive performance criteria were measured.  Results confirmed that MF plays a role in the reproductive process of P. monodon.  Specifically, under the conditions of this study, MF inhibited late stage ovary development and reduced fecundity in ablated shrimp.  While the current study has increased our knowledge of MF by isolating an ovary developmental stage at which MF regulates reproduction in monodon, factors that determine the extent of its effect and whether it has a stimulatory or inhibitory effect remain unknown.  Until these factors are identified, the application of MF as a means of predictably manipulating egg production in captive shrimp remains problematic.

Source: Electronical Larviculture Newsletter.  Editor Gilbert Van Stappen (gilbert.vanstappen@ugent.be).  Methyl farnesoate inhibition of late stage ovarian development and fecundity reduction in the black tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon.  Gay Marsden (gaymarsden@hotmail.com), David Hewitt, Eric Boglio, Peter Mather and Neil Richardson (School of Life Sciences, QUT GPO 2434, Brisbane Queensland, Australia 4001).  Issue 293.  July 15, 2008.

Bangladesh

Postlarvae Fly to Farms

The private airfreight business is booming in Bangladesh.  In 1998, seven private airfreight companies began flying domestic and international routes.  On the domestic routes, the companies operate primarily between Cox’s Bazar and Jessore, delivering postlarvae from the shrimp hatcheries on the southeast coast to farms on southwest coast.  Industry sources say air delivery reduces mortality rates significantly.

“Now it takes only a little more than one hour to carry shrimp to Jessore from Cox’s Bazar, a distance of 360 kilometers, whereas before the introduction of the service, a day and a half was needed to do the job.  This achievement has contributed to the overall development of the shrimp sector,” said Farhad Hossain, director of marketing and sales at Best Aviation, one of the companies that airfreights postlarvae to Jessore.

Source: The Daily Star.  Airfreight business booming.  Kawsar Khan (kawsar@thedailystar.net).  August 8, 2008.

Ecuador

Pescanova

Manuel Fernandez de Sousa, president of Pescanova, has assembled the largest shrimp farming venture in the Western Hemisphere .  Larry Drazba , manager of Pescanova’s operations in Central America, pulled it all together.

Rodrigo Laniado, president of Songa, a large integrated shrimp farm (hatcheries, farms, processing and international marketing) said that the entrance of new players in the market will generate more competition and will force the sector’s growth.  “The arrival of Pescanova will not change anything in the business, but rather, will strengthen the sector,” he said, adding that there are American investors who are interested in buying two other companies in Ecuador.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Pescanova has expanded its investments in Guayaquil, Ecuador (translated by Angel Rubio).  Ken Coons (phone 781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com ).  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com ).  August 21, 2008.

Malaysia

Cargill Getting Into the Hatchery Business

Cargill has allocated an initial investment of $1.5 million to develop a shrimp hatchery in Pekan, Pahang.  Paul Conway, president of Cargill Asia Pacific Holdings, Pte., Ltd., said, “We see a niche opportunity in Malaysia while this sector is still in its infancy.”

Desmond Tham Yuk Sun, Cargill Feed, Sdn., Bhd., managing director, said the company hopes to start selling postlarvae to farmers by the end of 2008.

In the nine months ended February 2008, Cargill, Inc., a family-owned company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, that employs 158,000 people in 66 countries, posted $2.9 billion in profits!

Source: New Straits Times.  Cargill Keen on Cocoa, Specialty Fats Businesses .  Ooi Tee Ching.  August 11, 2008.

Philippines

Negros Island—Rehabilitating Shrimp Ponds

The revival of about 4,000 hectares of idle shrimp farms on Negros Occidental is being eyed as part of a rehabilitation project with about a $6.6 million budget from the Department of Agriculture, said Cadiz City Mayor Salvador “Bading” Escalante Jr.

If you have Google Earth (free, but you must download it from Google’s website) installed on your computer, you can view the shrimp farms around Cadiz.  Zoom in on the northeast corner of Negros Island (latitude 10°, 51’, 36.84” N; longitude 122°, 58’, 34.72” W).

Source: Sun Star.  Revival of idled prawn farms in Negros Occidental eyed .  Erwin Ambo Delilan.  August 6, 2008.

South Korea

Shrimp Farming in South Korea

Previously, the native species Penaeus chinensis (the fleshy prawn) and P. japonicus were the main species farmed in South Korea, but after an outbreak of whitespot in 1993, the white shrimp, P. vannamei, was introduced, said Jin-Ho Kim (Pilkyong Fisheries Company) and In-Kwon Jang (the West Sea Mariculture Research Centre).  Today, vannamei accounts for 40% of production and chinensis, 60%.

In South Korea, ten shrimp hatcheries produce a total of 600 to 800 million postlarvae (PL 8-12) a year.  The stocking (25-35 PLs/m²) season is from April to early June (when temperatures rise above 15°C), and the harvest season is from August to October.

The following shrimp viruses have been found in South Korea: HPV, BMN and WSSV.  Korean scientists have developed technologies to control viral diseases, for example, a specific IgY antibody against whitespot.  Specific pathogen free and high-health shrimp have been produced by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, which has also developed high-density shrimp culture systems that recirculate most of their water.

Source: Aqua Culture AsiaPacific (Editor/Publisher, Zuridah Merican, email zuridah@aquaasiapac.com).  Korean aquaculture.  Volume 4, Number 4, Page 39, July/August 2008.

Thailand

RFID Broodstock Tags

Researchers in Thailand are investigating the benefits of radio frequency identification tags for tracking shrimp broodstock.  According to project leader Rungtawan Panakulchaiwat (left), staff members at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang have successfully embedded passive RFID tags in shrimp (Penaeus monodon).

“The objectives of the project are to determine a suitable position for RFID tags and the effect of tagging on growth, survival rates, stress, protein expression and histological change,” Rungtawan said.  “This will determine if RFID can be used for broodstock management on farms.”

Rungtawan is studying the tag’s exact placement, so broodstock are not harmed by it.  Since last year, the team has embedded tags in more than 1,000 shrimp.  The tags measure one centimeter (0.4 inch) long and can be inserted into shrimp when they reach 5.5 centimeters (2.2 inches).

Silicon Craft Technology and IE Technology provided the RFID chips, readers and software for monitoring the tags.  Shan Sharma, Silicon Craft Technology’s international business development manager, says, “We provided the 10-millimeter glass transponders and hand-held readers that work with the broodstock owners’ software to automate data matching between the shrimp identification and weight recorded from digital weight scales.”  The tags operate at a frequency of 134.2 kHz and comply with the ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 standards.

Source: RFID Journal.  Thai Researchers Study RFID for Managing Prawns and Other Food Fish.  Dave Friedlos.  August 5, 2008.

Thailand

Hatchery Produces Organic Postlarvae

Sea Garden Foods Company, Ltd. (SGF), a new firm started by organic aquaculture veteran Daniel Gruenberg, began working with Thai Department of Fisheries on its organic shrimp farming project in February 2008, and in August 2008, SGF began shipping organic giant tiger postlarvae (Penaeus monodon) to farmers.

SGF’s HIGH™ PLs (high immunity, growth and health), raised in a proprietary hatchery system, showed 50 to 100 percent improved growth rates over controls in a joint trial run by Thailand’s Department of Fisheries.  SGF says that the PLs are also nonspecific pathogen resistant and that they consistently outperform controls in challenge tests.

SGF recently showed its organic shrimp at the Tokyo Seafood Show.  Many Japanese buyers were surprised to see the product served raw as sushi, instead of boiled and undercut for sushi.  “We have the only farmed shrimp product on the market for raw sushi, other than P. japonicus, which is 30 to 40 percent more expensive, so the market is really showing a lot of interest,” said Gruenberg.

SGF produces its organic product under contract with Thai farmers.  The Thai Department of Fisheries plans to publish a white paper comparing the economics of vannamei farming with standard monodon and organic monodon farming.  Current indications are that organic monodon farming will be two to three times more profitable than vannamei farming.

SGF is also pioneering the use of ultra-low energy Ripple™paddlewheels from Japan.  Using these paddlewheels, it costs about $25 a month to aerate a one-hectare pond.  The paddlewheels not only save energy, but also prevent the buildup of sludge on the pond bottom.

SGF is currently undertaking a private equity offering to expand its organic monodon project, and it plans to produce 200 metric tons of organic monodon after building a larger hatchery for its HIGH™ PLs.

Information: Daniel Gruenberg, CEO, Sea Garden Foods, Co., Ltd., 10/26 M. 5 Bangsalay, Sattahip, Chonburi 20250, Thailand (phone +66-89-246-0283, fax 66-38-435-168, email info@sea-garden-foods.com).

Source: Email from Daniel Gruenberg (seagardenfoods@gmail.com) to Shrimp News International.  Press Release.  August 1, 2008.

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi—Jobs

Al-Ummar Fisheries has job openings for a shrimp hatchery technician and a shrimp farm manager.

Qualifications: College degree in mariculture, marine biology, aquaculture or fisheries.

Contact: Dr. Gopakumar (phone 00971508148573, email sdgopakumar@yahoo.co.in).

Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world’s electronic aquaculture resources.  Jobs Directory, type in the word “shrimp”), in cooperation with the WAS Employment Service.  Shrimp Hatchery Technician (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2917) and Shrimp Farm Manager (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2916).  August 18, 2008.

United States

Hawaii—High Health Aquaculture

In a letter to the editor of Fish Farming International, Jim Wyban, president of High Health Aquaculture, a supplier of SPF broodstock, said:

“I want to comment on and correct a few points in FFI’s June 2008 issue about the World Aquaculture Society’s conference in Korea.

Your article noted that Dr. Shaun Moss announced that Oceanic Institute is now selling shrimp broodstock worldwide.  Your writer asked me to comment.  The article attributed a quote to me that was inaccurate due to a misunderstanding.  First, I never mentioned Shaun [Dr. Moss] as the source of my problem about broodstock sales.  My complaint is directed at OI-HPU [the Oceanic Institute-Hawaii Pacific University].  They are using taxpayer-funded, tax-exempt facilities and staff to directly compete with my company.

My second point is I never called their behavior criminal, but I did question whose interests were being served.  Certainly not the interests of the struggling USA shrimp farming industry, which OI-HPU has received more than $50 million in USA tax dollars to support.

My third point is that later in the article Dr. Moss justifies their broodstock sales to make up for the loss of federal funding for their shrimp genetics program.

While OI-HPU lost federal funding in 2007, it’s my understanding that their shrimp consortium funding was restored this year.  With federal funding restored, shouldn’t they get out of selling broodstock and stop damaging the struggling USA shrimp farming industry that they are supposed to be helping?”

Information: James Wyban, Ph.D., High Health Aquaculture, Inc., 73-4460 Queen Kaahumanu Hwy #117, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 USA (phone/fax: 808-329-6018, email jim.wyban@gmail.com, webpage http://www.SPFGenetics.com).

Source: Fish Farming International.  Editor, Kenny McCaffrey (kenny.mccaffrey@informa.com).  Whose interests are being served by OI-HPU funding?  Volume 35, Number 8, Page 3, August 2008.

United States

Oregon—Bandages Made from Shrimp Shells

HemCon’s bandages, created from a natural substance in shrimp shells called chitosan, stop bleeding—including extensive arterial bleeding—within two to five minutes.  The antibacterial barrier properties of the bandages help prevent infection transmission to other patients and health care providers and also make it easier for medical professionals to help prevent infections at incision site wounds.  This potentially decreases patient complications and the length of the hospital stay.

HemCon dressings control bleeding by becoming extremely adherent when in contact with blood.  The adhesive-like action seals the wound and attracts red blood cells to the bandage, forming a seal that stops hemorrhaging independent of the body’s natural clotting process.  The bandages and dressings provide a barrier against harmful bacteria.  When in contact with the bacteria, the chitosan ruptures the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria and prohibits reproduction.

Information: David Chatham, Public Relations, Capstrat for HemCon Medical Technologies, Inc. (phone 919-882-1954, email dchatham@capstrat.com, webpage http://www.alltracel.com).

Source: BusinessWire.com.  HemCon Bandages Receive Expanded Indications for Antibacterial Barrier, Including MRSA.  August 11, 2008.

Vietnam

Uni-President's New Shrimp Hatchery

Uni-President’s new shrimp hatchery in Vietnam has already sold 100 million Penaeus vannamei postlarvae from SPF broodstock imported from Hawaii and Florida.  The original broodstock was airfreighted to the Ho Chi Minh City Airport, where it was monitored for diseases and then transported by road to the hatchery, five hours away.  The hatchery has 80 larval rearing tanks.  Target production is 240 million postlarvae per cycle and one billion annually.  During an acclimation period of 15 days, shrimp are tested for WSSV and YHV by the hatchery staff and provincial officials.  Infected stock is discarded.  Male and female broodstock are kept in separate tanks.

At the hatchery, monitoring for WSSV, TSV and YHV with PCR starts with PLs 3-5.  The hatchery sells postlarvae PL 8-10 to farmers in the central provinces and to those in the Mekong Delta.  Health checks are carried out before the farmers receive the postlarvae.  Farmers, however, may also send samples to universities to double check the disease status of the postlarvae.

Uni-President also has a disease diagnostic laboratory in Tien Giang Province that provides services to the farmers in the Mekong Delta.

The hatchery is some 12 hours away from the Delta, but stable salinities and high-quality water on the south central coast are the reasons for locating the hatchery in Ninh Thuan Province.  CPF, Grobest I-Mei, Viet Vc, Minh Phu, Hawaii Viet Thang and Thong Thuan have hatcheries in the same area.

Source: Aqua Culture AsiaPacific (Editor/Publisher, Zuridah Merican, email zuridah@aquaasiapac.com).  SPF shrimp hatchery: A good start to integration model in Vietnam.  Zuridah Merican.  Volume 4, Number 4, Page 10, July/August 2008.

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