Shrimp Hatcheries

This discussion took place on The Shrimp List in late January 2009.

Ahmed Alfaidy (ahmedalfaidy@yahoo.com): I have a 1,000-hectare shrimp farm with 120 five-hectare ponds and a processing plant that can handle 50 metric tons of shrimp a day.  I plan to stock 20 shrimp per square meter.  Next, I want to start preparing my hatchery.  How do I determine how many broodstock and nursery tanks I will need?

Jeff Prochaska (jeffepro@hotmail.com): That’s not a simple question to answer.  There are several books and manuals out there on hatchery design that provide the basics.  I’m sure you could find some good information on the Internet.

B. Sakthi Mohan Ganesh (saklynmon@yahoo.com): Jeff is correct! It’s not something you can learn through email and basic texts. You need a consultant for site selection, finance, design and implementation.

What species are you culturing?


Dallas Weaver (deweaver@scientifichatcheries.com): Depending on your water supply, the potential virus contamination of 
that water and your source of broodstock, you may want to keep 
the hatchery specific pathogen free, or close to it. That 
requires very careful treatment of the incoming water. In most 
cases, it’s economical to recycle water in the maturation 
system, which allows higher water flows and a larger number of 
spawning events. You will need a filter systems that removes a very high percentage of the waste products for this to work.

 Aquaneering, a company in San Diego, California, USA, has designed and provided a lot of recirculating systems for shrimp 
maturation facilities, primarily in the Americas, with excellent results. 
Recirculating systems cut the water requirement for maturation systems by 90% or more and allow 
for treatment of raw water to prevent pathogens from getting into 
the system in the first place.


Leland Lai (lelandlai@aquafauna.com): Are you growing Penaeus vannamei, P. monodon, or some other species?

We have designed some maturation systems for the Asian market (where labor costs are low), but your needs will depend on many factors.  Our Asian design is based on fluidized bed filters designed by Dallas Weaver.  We have operated some of them in Qingdao, China, for the past year, and they are highly cost effective.  They are being used for the maturation of fish and shrimp, growout nutrition trials, and fish meal and oil replacement trials at our five-million-liter research center for turbot, flounder, sole, bream and shrimp (P. vannamei and P. japonicus).  The recirculating systems allow us to maintain a biosecure environment, control temperature, and apply some of the production systems across species.  This effort is a joint development of Aquaneering, Aquafauna Bio-Marine [Lai’s company], American Life Science and Food Company, and Qingdao Samuels Industrial and Commercial Company (China).

In 1994, we implemented fluidized beds (developed by Dallas Weaver in the mid-1970s) at a hatchery in Costa Rica.  We are now installing five vannamei maturation systems in Nicaragua.  Contact me off-line for more information.

Ahmed Alfaidy (ahmedalfaidy@yahoo.com): Dear Mr. Sakthi, 
Thanks for your concern. I’m not seeking to learn by email; I’m basically looking for information on how to size the hatchery in relation to my growout area and stocking density. I don’t want to construct a hatchery; I only need the numbers of tanks and postlarvae.
 
Our species is P. indicus
.

Leonido C. Tala (leonidoctala@yahoo.com): Getting the right advice on how to make the most out of your farming operations is site specific.  You need to invite an expert to your farm, to see your set-up and assess what you need to do.  You don’t have to do what he says, but at least he will open your eyes to what needs to be done.  It’s impossible for anyone on The Shrimp List to advise you properly without seeing your site.

Laurence (ecotao@yahoo.com): 

I ran an integrated indicus farm (maturation, hatchery, processing and feed production) from 1992 to 2004.
 I’ve done a review of feed management practices for some shrimp farmers in Iran and also worked in Saudi Arabia for over six months.

 I can offer you two consulting options: a site visit and write-up of a plan that suits your requirements, or a spreadsheet model and written report on your requirements
 without a visit. For the second option, I would need lots of detailed data on your site and farm set-up. 

Please contact me off-list for information on my fees. I will
 forward my resume if you want it.


Regunathan Chidambara (aloulaseafood@yahoo.com): Before buying any books, make sure they are for indicus, not some other species.  Species makes a big difference when it comes to hatcheries.  Before starting work on your facility, you have to know what level of biosecurity you plan to adopt, the size of postlarvae you plan to stock, and the quality of your incoming water.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers).  Subject: [shrimp] Hatchery.  January 22–26, 2009.

Country Reports

China

Freshwater Prawn Conference

“Giant Prawn 2011”, a technical conference on freshwater prawn farming, will be held in conjunction with “World Aquaculture 2011”, a World Aquaculture Society meeting scheduled for June 6-10, 2011, in Qingdao, China.  The conference will focus on the following species: the giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), the oriental river prawn (M. nipponense), the monsoon river prawn (M. malcolmsonii) and the Amazon River prawn (M. amazonicum).

China, the largest producer of farmed freshwater prawns in the world, more than 300,000 metric tons a year, produces giant and oriental river prawns and conducts significant research on the biology and rearing of both species.  Several nearby countries—India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Taiwan—are also major prawn producers.

The program for “Giant Prawn 2011” is being developed by Michael New, along with his many friends and colleagues in the prawn industry.  The sessions will be spread out over several days and include review papers on genetics, size management, health management, nutrition, hatcheries, growout and marketing.

Information: Michael New (new.macrobrachium@yahoo.co.uk).

Source: Emails to Shrimp News International from Michael New (michaelnew4awf@yahoo.co.uk).  Subject: Giant Prawn 2011 in Qingdao.  January 22 and 26, 2009.

Italy

FAO Study of the World’s Shrimp Fisheries

The Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations has published a new assessment of the global shrimp fishing industry, which says shrimp is the most valuable fishery commodity in international trade and the most valuable fishery export for many developing countries.  The world’s shrimp catch is about 3.4 million metric tons a year.  World production of shrimp, both captured and farmed, is about 6 million tons, of which about 60 percent enters the world market.

In 359 pages, the assessment covers the following topics:

• the structure of the shrimp fishing industries

• species

• catch effort

• economics

• trade

• bycatch

• fuel

• biological aspects

• impacts on the environment

• impacts of large-scale shrimp fishing on small-scale fisheries

• management

• enforcement

• research

• data reporting

• impacts of shrimp farming on shrimp fishing

A major conclusion of the assessment is that there are many mechanisms, instruments and models to enable effective mitigation of the difficulties associated with shrimp fishing.  The inference is that shrimp fishing (including trawling) is manageable and sustainable—if appropriate catch levels are set.

In many countries, however, weak agencies, lack of political will and inadequate legal foundations cause failures in the management of shrimp fisheries.  This report makes specific recommendations on the management of small-scale shrimp fisheries, capacity reduction and access to the fishery.

Ten countries receive special attention in the report: Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

Information: You can download a free PDF of the FAO assessment here.  On the page that opens, scroll down until you see “Further Reading” in the left hand column.  Just below that and to the right, click on “clicking here”.  That should start the download process.  It’s a 4.2-megabyte file.

Source: The FishSite.  A Glance at the Global Rise of Shrimp.  January 26, 2009.

Nicaragua

Camanica—Larry Drazba

Larry Drazba, general manager of Camarones de Nicaragua (Camanica), the largest shrimp farming operation in the Western Hemisphere, says the international financial crisis is having a big effect on his operations.  He says, “I don’t want to speculate on figures but, yes, the crisis is knocking us around, mainly in terms of prices.”

Source: FIS United States.  Dramatic drop in exports ahead: Chamber.  Analia Murias (editorial@fis.com).  January 20, 2009.

Thailand

SyAqua

SyAqua, a world leader in shrimp genetics, markets genetically improved broodstock and seedstock.

Here are some notes from SyAqua’s webpage:

Our programs are dedicated to improving the value of the harvested shrimp for the processor by increasing the percentage of meat and improving meat quality, color, texture and other characteristics.

SyAqua is the world’s first and only company to use genetic markers in its shrimp breeding program.

Please contact us about employment opportunities.  Email us about your specialty and the countries where you would like to work.  Send your email and a copy of your resume to SyAqua Human Resources at hr@syaqua.com.

All SyAqua products are produced using non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) technologies and all feed inputs are certified not to contain GMO products.

SyAqua can trace the genealogy of all its animals.

SyAqua animals are specific pathogen free and grown in biosecure systems.

SyAqua uses disease challenge trials to develop family tolerance to key viruses like TSV and WSSV.

All SyAqua products are PCR-tested for class 1 viruses.

Our animals have no antibiotic residues.

SyAqua hatcheries are certified by the Aquaculture Certification Council.

SyAqua operates its own bioassay laboratories for quantitative genetics and diseases challenge work.

SyAqua collaborates with research universities across the world.

Worldwide Contact Information

SyAqua USA (phone 1-805-624-6604, email syaquaresearch@syaqua.com).

SyAqua Asia (phone +66-02-661-7609, email syaquaasia@syaqua.com).

Brazil@syaqua.com

China@syaqua.com

Mexico@syaqua.com

India@syaqua.com

MiddleEast@syaqua.com

Indonesia@syaqua.com

Malaysia@syaqua.com

Europe@syaqua.com

Thailand@syaqua.com

Vietnam@syaqua.com

Source: A visit to SyAqua’s webpage on January 26, 2009.

United States

Connecticut—Trufresh to Distribute Pescanova’s Shrimp

Connecticut-based Trufresh, a distributor of frozen fish and shrimp, and Florida-based Pescanova USA, a subsidiary of Pescanova (Spain), the world’s leading fishing company, have announced a partnership that will distribute fish and shrimp to retail outlets across the USA.  Pescanova also owns Nicaragua-based Camanica, the largest shrimp farming operation in the Western Hemisphere.

For the past decade, Trufresh has successfully offered its products to food distributors and wholesalers nationwide, and Pescanova USA products are already available through major retail chains and supermarkets in the USA.  The growing popularity of Trufresh Salsa Verde and Lemon Herb Marinade Shrimp, the first retail products offered by Trufresh, spurred the move to make Trufresh/Pescanova shrimp more readily available to consumers throughout the United States.

Press Information: Anne Steinberg, Managing Director, Kitchen Public Relations, 317 Madison Avenue, Suite 608, New York, New York 10017, USA (phone 212-687-8999, cell phone 917-817-4850, email anne@kitchenpr.com, webpage http://www.kitchenpr.com).

Pescanova Information: Domingo Moreira, CEO, Pescanova USA, 201 Alhambra Circle, Suite 701, Coral Gables, Florida 33134, USA (phone 305-663-4380, email info@pescanovausa.com, webpage http://www.pescanovausa.com).

Trufresh Information: Kevin Vandervoort, CEO, Trufresh, P.O. Box 579, Suffield, Connetticut 06078, USA (phone 800-894-1167, fax 860-627-7782, email info@trufresh.com, webpage http://www.trufresh.com).

Source: Emails to Shrimp Farming International from Anne Steinberg.  Subjects: Pescanova USA and Trufresh team up, and Trufresh.  January 22 and 28, 2009.

United States

Oregon—Chitin Bandages

Hemostatic dressings cause blood to clot and can stop hemorrhaging.  HemCon’s hemostatic dressings, which contain chitosan from shrimp shells, were widely issued by the USA military until very recently.  Once moistened with blood, the dressings form a sticky, glue-like bandage over a wound.  HemCon’s longer-term efficacy (two hours or more) has recently been called into question by some studies.  The price tag is also high at $100 per individual gauze.

Information: HemCon Medical Technologies, Inc., 10575 SW Cascade Avenue, Suite 130, Portland, Oregon 97223-4363, USA (phone 1-503-245-0459, fax 1-503-245-1326, email info@hemcon.com, webpage http://www.hemcon.com).

Source: EMS1.com.  All Bleeding Stops Eventually.  Larry Torrey.  January 26, 2009.

United States

Washington, DC—Top Candidate for FDA says “Drastic Increase in Food Inspection
Needed”

Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in the state of Ohio and one of President Obama’s top candidates for heading the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), says drastic increases are needed in the nation’s food inspection system.  Nissen said FDA is swamped by the agency’s other responsibilities: the approval of medications and medical devices.  The result is an overworked and understaffed agency continually hit by sweeping food scares that sicken scores of people and sometimes result in death.

“The truth be told, the FDA is a failed agency....  The main problem is that it is terribly underfunded,” Nissen said.  “It needs to do more inspections, especially of foods brought in internationally.  We are all very vulnerable.  This has to be fixed and fixed quickly.”  Nissen is widely known as an activist and doesn’t mind taking the heat from drug companies when he finds deadly flaws in their products.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  One of Obama’s top candidates for FDA says drastic increase in food inspection needed.  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  January 22, 2009.

United States

Washington, DC—WWF to Start the Aquaculture Stewardship Council

The World Wildlife Fund is in the process of creating a new entity called the “Aquaculture Stewardship Council”, which will implement WWF’s global standards for aquaculture, currently under development in a series of Aquaculture Dialogue Roundtables.

The new Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) will be responsible for hiring independent, third party auditors to certify shrimp farms.  WWF is funding the business development phase of ASC and is seeking funds from organizations and the private sector to implement the full program.  It hopes to be operational within two years.

Over the next year, draft standards for minimizing the key environmental and social impacts associated with shrimp farming will be developed.

A key component of the ASC business strategy will be following the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling (ISEAL) Alliance’s guidelines for certification programs, the world’s most reputable guidelines for addressing social and environmental issues.  None of the existing aquaculture certification schemes have governance structures that are in compliance with ISEAL.

Information: Jill Schwartz, Deputy Director/Senior Communications Officer, World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th Street, NW Washington, DC 20037-1193, USA (phone 202-822-3458, email jill.schwartz@wwfus.org, webpage http://www.worldwildlife.org).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Jill Schwartz on January 26, 2009.

United States

Washington, DC—President Obama Likes Shrimp

Barack Hussein Obama: born in Hawaii, with an African father, an Indonesian stepfather, a mother from English-Irish stock with Native American elements.  His first name is Swahili for “blessed one”, his second is Arabic for “good-looking” and his third is a town in Japan.  His family members speak French, Cantonese, Bahasa Indonesia and German.

His favorite dishes are Mexican chili—and shrimp linguini!

Source: The Jakarta Post.  Obama is the key example of globalization.  Nury Vittachi Sun.  January 25, 2009.

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