Country Reports

Australia

Bikini Babes Versus Wild Shrimp

Dump the bikini as a vehicle to market the Sunshine Coast as a tourist destination and focus instead on our rich harvest from the sea.  That was the message from a seafood wholesaler who believes fresh, wild-caught shrimp could outsell images of bikini babes any day.  “I think the days of bikini marketing are gone,’’  Browns Slipway retail manager Carol Mainland said.  “It’s very much missing the point that a lot of people are coming here to access our fresh seafood.”

Source: The Daily.com.  The best bait.  Bill Hoffman.  June 18, 2008.

Australia

Shrimp Immunobiotic

Stirling Products reports that its wholly owned North American subsidiary, Stirling Products North America, Inc. (STI-NA), has successfully completed shrimp product validation trials with a leading global animal pharmaceutical company for its proprietary immunobiotic ProVale™, a beta glucan extract.

“ProVale™ has previously been shown to increase production in shrimp ponds by more than 36% and decrease the mortality of shrimp due to disease by more than 28%,” said Shane Patelakis, President of STI-NA.  “The latest trials confirm the ability of ProVale™ to significantly improve production yield and survival of commercially raised shrimp even under challenged conditions,” he added.

Information: Dr. Calvin London, Stirling Products Limited, Level 11, The BGC Centre, 28 The Esplanade, Perth WA 6000, Australia (phone 61-8-9480-1480, fax 61-8-9226-4144, email info@stirlingproducts.net, webpage http://www.stirlingproducts.net).

Source: ABN News.  Stirling Products (ASX:STI) North America Gets Performance Milestone From Global Animal Pharma Company.  June 10, 2008.

Australia

Ridley Rejects Buyout Offer

Graincorp Limited, an agribusiness with grain storage, handling and export terminals on the east coast of Australia, has offered to buy Ridley Corporation Limited, the largest feed company in Australia, for $415 million.  Ridley’s AgriProducts division produces shrimp feeds in Queensland, Australia.

Ridley is campaigning against GrainCorp’s hostile takeover offer, calling it miserly and opportunistic.

Source: AllAboutFeeds.net.  Ridley rejects offer from GrainCorp.  June 10, 2008.

Bangladesh

Russia Wants Bangladeshi Shrimp

While inaugurating the Fifth International Exhibition of Seafood Russia (Moscow, June 4-6, 2008), Russian Deputy Minister for Agriculture Vladimir Izmailov visited the Bangladesh pavilion and expressed his eagerness to import more shrimp from Bangladesh.  Since 2006, shrimp exports to Russia have totaled about $20 million.  Bangladesh participated in the exhibition in association with the Russia Export Promotion Bureau and the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association.  The 13 Bangladeshi frozen food exporting companies at the fair estimated that shrimp exports to Russia would double in 2008.  With their Russian counterparts, they talked about ways of smoothing the shrimp trade between Bangladesh and Russia, and they learned about the registration procedure with the Russian Veterinary Department and how to manage banking arrangements, letters of credit and visas.

Source: The New Nation.  Russian importers keen to buy shrimp.  June 9, 2008.

Bangladesh

Viral Diseases and Falling Prices

In 2008, frustration has gripped shrimp farmers as they face serious setbacks from shrimp viral disease and falling shrimp prices.  Owners of shrimp farms and exporters said they were getting about half as much for their shrimp in 2008, compared to the same period in 2007.  Many foreign buyers have cancelled orders.  A shrimp farmer said Grade-20 shrimp were currently selling for $4.37 a kilo, compared to $8.75 in 2007.

Source: The Daily Star.  Setback in Satkhira shrimps sector.  June 14, 2008.

Belize

Awful Arthur Hits Paradise Shrimp Farm

On June 6, 2008, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) announced that the preliminary estimate of damage from tropical storm Arthur was $39 million ($26 million in direct costs and $13 million in economic losses).  Worst hit were settlements and villages close to rivers and along the coast.  The total economic loss to the agriculture sector was estimated at around $13 million.  The Government said that Paradise Shrimp Farm and Melinda Mariculture, Ltd. [shrimp processing], lost $200,000 and $1 million, respectively.

Source: Amandala (“Belize’s Leading Newspaper”).  Agriculture takes a $40 million hit, GOB report says.  June 10, 2008.

Brunei

Integrated Aquaculture International, New Personnel

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 the Brunei Department of Fisheries, forwarded the following press release and photos of two new directors at IAI.

Malcolm Smith has joined IAI as the Director of Breeding and Hatchery Operations.  Mal is a professional aquaculturist with over 20 years experience in the industry.  He began his aquaculture career at Seahatcheries, Pty., Ltd., in Australia, where he helped develop technology for spawning and larval production of barramundi (a fish).  In 1992, he joined Seafarm, Pty., Ltd., where he spearheaded the world’s largest domestication program for Penaeus merguiensis.  He was also instrumental in initiating domestication of P. monodon in Australia.  Mal will be located in Brunei Darussalam, overseeing selective breeding and hatchery production of specific pathogen free P. monodon and P. stylirostris in IAI’s joint project with the Brunei Department of Fisheries.  He will be responsible for managing quarantine, nucleus breeding, broodstock production and hatchery facilities to produce large, fast-growing P. monodon.

Thomas James has joined IAI as the Director of Pond Production.  Tom started his professional career in aquaculture at Ecuadminsa, a fully integrated shrimp producer in Ecuador that operated a 1,600-hectare farm.  After twelve years of experience in pond management in Ecuador, he moved to Granjas Ojai, an agribusiness company with 1,000 hectares of shrimp farms in Mexico.  For 10 years, he was responsible for shrimp production that involved extensive, semi-intensive and super-intensive production systems.  His experience in managing intensive, aerated, and lined pond systems with probiotic cultures and bio-flocs to minimize water exchange and with mechanical harvesting to produce head-on shrimp for premium market segments will be applied in managing the biosecure, intensive ponds in IAI’s joint project with the Brunei Department of Fisheries.

Integrated Aquaculture International is headquartered in Hastings, Nebraska, USA.  It implements projects that are focused on achieving production efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture through synergy of genetics, health, nutrition, environment and management.  Further, it seeks to build a unified network of clients who benefit from the synergy of collaboration.

Information: George Chamberlain, Integrated Aquaculture International, 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A, St. Louis, MO 63129 USA (phone 314-293-5500, cell 314-607-8466, fax 314-293-5525, email georgec@integratedaquaculture.com, website http://www.integratedaquaculture.com).

Source: Email from George Chamberlain with attached news release: Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI) is pleased to announce new additions to its team.  Subject: Personnel News.  June 11, 2008.

Ecuador (and Honduras and Nicaragua)

Seajoy Shrimp, “Good for the Environment...Good for You!”

It’s easy to feel proud...when you’ve been a leader in producing the highest quality cultivated Pacific white shrimp for 30 years.  With over 6,000 acres of production farms geographically diversified in ideal growing conditions on the coasts of Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua, we never have to compromise on quality.  And with our vertically integrated production, we have the control to deliver reliably, consistently and sustainably year after year to an ever-growing list of satisfied customers who demand the best and sell Seajoy shrimp with pride.

Information: Seajoy Shrimp (phone 877-537-1717, fax 262-375-9028, email sales@seajoy.com, webpage http://www.seajoy.com).

Source: The Global Aquaculture Advocate.  Editor, Darryl Jory (dejry2525@aol.com).  Advertisement: Seajoy.  Volume 11, Issue 3, Page 66, May/June 2008.

Iran

Wants Information on Molecular and Genetic Studies of Shrimp

Saeid Gorgin (sgorgin@gau.ac.ir): I am looking for information on the equipment and techniques that are required to do molecular and genetic studies of shrimp.

Information: Saeid Gorgin, Department of Fisheries, College of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Natural Resources and Agricultural Science, Gorgan, Iran (phone 98-171-2245965, fax 98-171-2245886, cell 98-911-170-9792, Skype: sgorgin, email gorgin_s@yahoo.com).

Source: Crust-L, an email-based mailing list for crustacean scientists (To subscribe, send an email to LISTPROC@VIMS.EDU.  In the body of the email, put SUBSCRIBE CRUST-L).  Subject: [CRUST-L:3583] molecular and genetic studies.  From: Saeid Gorgin.  June 9, 2008.

Mexico

Lagoon Farming

Patrick Wood (patrickjwood@yahoo.com), currently with Lyons Seafoods (part of the Alfesca Group, http://www.alfesca.com), a leading European producer of shellfish, comments: In your interview with Sergio Escutia about shrimp farming in Sinaloa, Mexico, you mentioned an American that wanted to take over an entire lagoon for a shrimp farm.

In 1988-1991, I built the first Mexican shrimp hatchery with a maturation facility just up the road from the Sergio Escutia’s farm.  In fact, I supplied him with his first postlarvae.  At the time, there was a system of tapas (large weir gates on wooden structures) that were used seasonally by ejidatarios and cooperativos to block off lagoons after the shrimp spawning season.  The shrimp were held in the lagoons and grown out naturally during the rainy season when the lagoons became brackish.  There were many tapas in southern Sinaloa.  Some of the lagoons were huge, over a thousand hectares.  Sometimes the shrimp would not grow because there was not enough natural food in the lagoons or because the lagoons were overstocked.  Partial harvesting was done by throwing chicken feed into a marked area and then using cast nets to catch the crop.  When the tides were right, they would use a drain harvest through nets at the tapas.

This traditional method of growout had been going on for decades before I arrived.  I thought the system was good for the local fishermen and nondestructive.

Information: Patrick Wood, Lyons Seafoods, P.O. Box 2455, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 9XZ, UK (phone 44-0-1985-224-300, email patrickjwood@yahoo.com, http://www.lyons-seafoods.com/news/jubilee.htm).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Patrick Wood on June 1, 2008.

Myanmar

Cyclone Nargis

The Associated Press reports that the Times, a weekly English-language newspaper affiliated with the government of Myanmar, said: Massive waves from the cyclone devastated 15,000 hectares of shrimp farms and about 3,000 acres of fish farms.

Source: USA Today.  Burma group denies rumors of fish eating corpses.  June 9, 2008.

Pakistan

Plans to Encourage Shrimp Farming

According to the foreign minister of the newly elected Government of the Pakistan People’s Party, a $16 million budget has been proposed for the fisheries sector that includes a new fisheries training center in Gwadar that will work on stock assessment and shrimp farming.

Source: Travel and Culture Services Blog.  Text of the Budget Speech delivered by finance Minister Naveed Qamar.  June 11, 2008.

South Africa

Amatikulu Prawns, Used the Money to Buy Luxury Cars

In November 2006, Trade and Investment KwaZulu, a Natal Province trade and investment promotion agency, announced that it was helping Amatikulu Prawns, a shrimp farm (Penaeus indicus), raise $6 million and create 85 jobs.

In June 2008, Dominic du Plessis, chief executive at KwaZulu, said legal action would be taken against the directors of Amatikulu Prawns, which had borrowed $3 million for a shrimp farm, but used the money to buy luxury cars.

Source: Business Report.  KZN fund ready to sign R1bn loan deal in weeks.  Wiseman Khuzwayo.  June 8, 2008.

United States

California—Shrimp News International

On April 1, 2008, at the World Wildlife Fund’s Shrimp Dialogue Meeting in Belize City, Belize, I interviewed Larry Drazba, general manager of Camanica, a large, integrated shrimp farm in Nicaragua.  In 2006, Camanica was purchased by Pescanova, a Spanish company that operates the largest fishing/aquaculture operation in the world.  Over the last two years, Manuel Fernandez de Sousa, president of Pescanova, has assembled the largest shrimp farming venture in the Western Hemisphere.  Larry Drazba bought all the venture’s farms, hatcheries and processing plants and tells the story in this interview.

Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, June 27, 2008.

United States

Florida—Farm-Raised Colombian Shrimp at the Shrimp Market

Cartagena Shrimp Company, an integrated shrimp farm (hatchery, farm, processing and distribution) in Colombia, owns a new and expanding casual dining chain in Aventura, Florida, called the Shrimp Market, the first quick-service restaurant specializing in shrimp!

Vanessa Abramowitz is president of the Shrimp Market.  The new quick-service concept is the brainchild of her father, Salomon Finvarb, who founded the Cartagena Shrimp Company in Colombia, in 1983, and its USA wholesale subsidiary, Caribco Shrimp Corp., of Aventura, Florida, in 2002.  It’s a family affair.  Vanessa’s brother, Moris, works at the farm, which yields about 10,000 metric tons of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) annually.

With the help of foodservice-consulting firms Tesser of San Francisco and Synergy Consulting of Portland, Oregon, the Shrimp Market debuted in Aventura Mall in February 2007.  The second restaurant came to Pembroke Lakes Mall in Pembroke Pines, Florida, in April 2008.  In June 2008, five more restaurants are due to open, one in Miami and four in the Boston area.  By year’s end, another seven units are scheduled to open, one in Sunrise, Florida, and six in the New York area.  The average per-person check at the Shrimp Market, including a beverage, is about $9, and some items cost less than $5.  The company-owned stores generally range from 600 to 700 square feet and are located in shopping mall food courts.

Source: Seafood Business.  Vanessa Abramowitz.  Steven Hedlund (shedlund@divcom.com).  Volume 27, Number 6, June 2008.

United States

Hawaii—Fresh Island Fish, a Shrimp Farm on the Island of Kauai

On the island of Kauai, Fresh Island Fish manages a shrimp farm that markets its product fresh on ice.  Roberto Quintana, hatchery manager, says no growth hormones, additives, antibiotics or chemicals are used anywhere on the farm.  Robert Kanna, growout manager, says, “Without that we’d be just run of the mill.  Getting a fresh product, you can’t beat that.  Right here, pulling it out of the pond...and have it in the store on the same day.”

Roberto Quintana	Robert Kanna

Source: KHNL 8 (a TV Channel).  Scientists raise shrimp on Kauai farm.  Howard Dashefsky (hdashefsky@khnl.com).  June 9, 2008.

United States

Louisiana—WAS Journal Available Online

The latest issue of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society is now available online.  Beginning in March 2006, publication of the journal has been handled by Blackwell Publishing.  One important benefit of this shift in publishers has been the addition of electronic access to the journal.  By following the steps below, members can access the full journal articles at the WAS website.

Go to http://www.was.org/.  Enter your membership number in the login box in the left hand column of the WAS home page.  Once you’re logged in, look for the picture of the blue-covered journal in the right-hand column.  You might have to scroll down to bring it into view.  Click on the “read more” link below the image of the journal.  You will be taken to the contents page of the current issue of the journal.  Under the article titles, you’ll see several options (red links) for the abstract, references and full text of the article.

Adding electronic access to back issues of the Journal is in progress.

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Denis McIntosh (listadmin@was.org), web editor at the World Aquaculture Society.  Subject: Latest Issue of JWAS Now Available.  May 28, 2008.

United States

South Carolina—Waddell Mariculture Center, Bio-floc Shrimp Farming

In this study, shrimp were raised in 32, 6.3m³ outdoor tanks for three months.  The researchers compared 38% and 30% protein feeds, stocking densities of 300/m² and 100/m² and the use of settling chambers to crop organic matter from half of the tanks.  All tanks were heavily aerated to keep them well mixed and to meet the respiratory demands of the system.  The researchers measured total gross primary productivity (TGPP) and total community respiration (TRESP) using YSI’s (Yellow Spring Instruments) Sondes line of dissolved oxygen sensors.  Airflow to the tanks was turned off for 0.5-1.0 hour periods during the day and night while the equipment recorded the increase or decrease in dissolved oxygen every 10 minutes.

TGPP was approximately 23% higher in tanks that were cropped than uncropped tanks.  Removal of organic matter increased light penetration and led to an increase in photosynthesis.  TRESP in high-density tanks was approximately twice as great as that in low-density tanks.  Shrimp respiration was determined to be 0.7mgO₂/g-L-hr.  In low-density tanks, shrimp accounted for 20% of the oxygen demand while the microbial community accounted for 80%; shrimp oxygen demand was 28% and microbial demand was 72% in the high-density tanks.  Shrimp grew larger at the lower density level.

Information: John Cooksey, World Aquaculture Conference Management, P.O. Box 2302, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA (phone 760-751-5005, fax 760-751-5003, email worldaqua@aol.com, webpage http://www.was.org).

Source: World Aquaculture Society.  The CD of Aquaculture 2008 America (Orlando, Florida, USA, February 2008).  Abstract 167.  Ecosystem Energetics of a Microbial Biofloc Community Used to Culture Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.  Traci E. Holstein (undrthc@cox.net), Heidi L. Atwood, Jesus A. Venero, Craig L. Browdy and John W. Leffler (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Waddell Mariculture Center, P.O. Box 809, Bluffton, SC 29910 USA).

United States

Texas—Status and 2007 Statistics

Granvil Treece, Aquaculture Specialist, Texas A&M University, Sea Grant College Program, reports:

“There is very little news to report on Texas shrimp farming.  Everyone is still struggling with low farm-gate prices and higher operating costs, making viable shrimp culture a real challenge.  Fritz Jaenike at Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd., has stocked some shrimp this year, and he hopes to sell some postlarvae to a farmer at the Arroyo Aquaculture Association who has three or four ponds.  That farmer will be the only one stocking shrimp this year at AAA—and he will also be growing tilapia.  Harlingen Shrimp Farms has shifted part of its shrimp hatchery to redfish or red drum and has some ponds stocked with fish.  It hopes to develop a market for redfish in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Bowers (Harold and Reed) left the Rio Grande Valley, where they had leased about 450 acres of shrimp ponds from Bing Hung at Southern Star, and moved back to Collegeport.  They are concentrating their shrimp raising at their Collegeport farm and are stocking the farm to make up for the loss of acres at Southern Star.  They also have a new catfish farm in operation outside Palacios, along with a catfish hatchery and a catfish processing plant under construction.

Bing Hung leased Southern Star (about 1,000 acres of ponds) to PetroSun on April 1, 2008.  PetroSun plans to grow algae to produce biofuels.

Ronnie and Matt Benner (R&G in Port Lavaca) have shifted to finfish.  They have a few ponds with hybrid striped bass and the rest of the 200-acre farm is stocked with red drum.  They have their own red drum hatchery and are offering red drum fry and fingerlings for sale.

Bart Reid, at Permian Sea Organics in Imperial, is still stocking shrimp and selling it as “organic”.  He stocked 12 acres last year on the 64-acre farm, and has been talking about growing finfish.

To the best of my knowledge, most of the farmers who stocked shrimp last year, stocked again this year (Bobby Edwards at Texas Sea Breeze, Thang Nguyen at St. Martin’s and Charlie Chan at Austwell).  Charlie Chan has added finfish to his farm.  The story in Texas is diversification to finfish to survive.  I suspect the shrimp production from the state in 2008 will be about the same or lower than it was in 2007 (3.4 million pounds).”

Granvil Treece’s Shrimp/Fish Farming Short Course (September 10-15, 2008).

Information: Granvil Treece, Aquaculture Specialist, Texas A&M University, Sea Grant College Program, 2700 Earl Rudder Freeway South, Suite 1800, College Station, Texas 77845 USA (phone 979-845-7527, fax 979-845-7525, email g-treece@neo.tamu.edu, website http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Granvil Treece on June 3, 2008.

Vietnam

Export Goals Unattainable

During the first five months of 2008, Vietnam exported approximately $1.5 billion worth of seafood, but the shrimp portion of those exports decreased considerably.  Shrimp farms in the central provinces and the Mekong Delta have been hit with diseases, leading to an undersupply of shrimp.

Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors, said that seafood producers and exporters were facing many difficulties, including a shortage of capital and raw materials.  Hoe said Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta had 60,000 hectares of shrimp ponds, but in the first five months of 2008, only 32,000 hectares were being used for shrimp farming.

Source: Vietnam Net Bridge.  Seafood export target seen unattainable.  June 12, 2008.

Vietnam

Novus International to Build Aquaculture Research Facility, Will Include Shrimp

Novus International, Inc., a maker of animal health and nutrition products that’s based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is investing about $500,000 in a new aquaculture research facility in Ho Chi Minh City.  Novus is privately owned by two Japanese companies: Mitsui & Co. (USA) Inc., and Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.  The new research facility will include a water process laboratory, a feed processing laboratory and a hatchery for tilapia, catfish and shrimp.

Source: STL Today.com.  Local aquaculture industry eyes growth.  Jeremiah McWilliams (phone 314-340-8372, email jmcwilliams@post-dispatch.com).  June 10, 2008.

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