IBM and Vietnam

Test Software for Tracing Shrimp

On May 18, 2009, IBM and the FXA Group, a supplier of food tracing software, announced a three-month pilot project with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the Vietnamese State Agency for Technological Innovation (SATI) to test a traceability system for Vietnam’s farmed shrimp industry.

As part of the project, IBM and FXA will collaborate with several local technology companies in Vietnam to provide a system that will use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to track Vietnamese seafood exports, worth more than $4.25 billion in 2008.

FXA’s technology will be used for collecting the data, and IBM’s technology will make that data accessible to all the parties involved in the seafood supply chain, including wholesalers, shippers and retailers.  Additionally, IBM will make it possible to trace individual boxes of frozen shrimp with a serial number.

The technology collects information on the farm where the shrimp were produced, when and how the shrimp were harvested and at what temperature they were stored.

IBM’s InfoSphere Traceability Server allows trading partners to track products as they move through the global supply chain.  The IBM software is compliant with product code standards for capturing and sharing information.

Businesses and governments in the produce, seafood, poultry and livestock industries have tested FXA’s “OpsSmart” food traceability software.  The software can be used with various data capture technologies such as linear barcodes, 2-D barcodes and RFID systems.  FXA technology provides building blocks that can accommodate all manner of traceability needs, while IBM’s software ensures that trusted information can be securely shared and exchanged with the appropriate parties from the producer, to the manufacturer, to the retailer.

Camimex, a shrimp export company in the Mekong Delta, is testing the system.  The technology will also be tested at selected Vietnamese shrimp farms.

Girish Vasudevan, a territory executive for IBM in Vietnam, said, “We can offer a traceability system from $10,000 for small and medium-sized firms as well as provide million-dollar systems for big companies.”

IBM Information: Harriet Ip (phone 65-6418-1521, cell 65-8161-8505, email harrieti@sg.ibm.com); Kaveri Camire (phone 917-472-3440, cell 914-625-6395, email kcamire@us.ibm.com); and Nancy Kaplan (phone 914-766-1849, cell 914-714-2299, email nkaplan@us.ibm.com).

IBM Webpages on Its Traceability Software: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/smartplanet/topics/food/20081208/index.shtml? and http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/infosphere/traceability-server/.

FXA Group Information: http://www.fxagroup.com/partners/partners.htm.

VASEP Information: Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers http://vasep.com.vn/vasep/edailynews.nsf/HomePage.

Sources: 1. PR Newswire.  IBM, Government of Vietnam and FXA Group Join Forces to Ensure Global Seafood Safety.  May 18, 2009.  2. Vietnam News.  Making Sure Seafood Stays Fresh.  May 19, 2009.

Country Reports

Canada

Bitter Crab Disease, Affects Lobsters, but Not Shrimp, Yet

Researchers at the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island have received $328,312 to study the parasite that causes bitter crab disease in snow crabs.  BCD can do much more than make crabs taste bitter.  It can kill them.  The parasite occurs off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and has recently been found off the coast of Nova Scotia.  Dr. Richard Cawthorn, a research scientist with the Atlantic Veterinary College’s Lobster Science Centre, will be leading the study.  “Bitter crab disease is a fatal parasitic disease which affects over 40 species of crustaceans globally,” said Cawthorn.  “Although the parasite was first described in the 1930s, the disease has exploded worldwide since 1985 and new hosts continue to be discovered in the cold, cool and warm oceanic environments.”

The global impact of bitter crab disease was explored by international delegates during a bitter crab disease workshop held September 20–22, 2007, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.  The workshop was co-hosted by the Atlantic Veterinary College’s (AVC) Lobster Science Centre and the United State’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Information: Dr. Richard Cawthorn.  Atlantic Veterinary College at University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE, Canada C1A 4P3 (phone 1-902-566-0882, fax 1-902-566-0958 email cawthorn@upei.ca).

Dr. Cawthorn referred my questions about the possibility of lobsters or shrimp getting bitter crab disease to Dr. J. Frank Morado at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle. Dr.  Morado is monitoring the global situation regarding distribution and prevalence of bitter crab disease among crustaceans.  He said:

“As of today, Hematodinium, a parasitic dinoflagellate and the causative agent of bitter crab disease, has not been positively identified in shrimp.  I say positively because in the early 1990’s a dinoflagellate-like parasite was reported in spot prawns (Pandalus platyceros) from Alaska and British Columbia and in Alaska pink shrimp (P. borealis).  One of the reasons that shrimp were thought to be infected by Hematodinium is that parasitic stages in both species of shrimp appeared similar to the parasitic dinoflagellate.  However, it is now generally acknowledged that the parasite in the spot prawn is a haplosporidan and not a parasitic dinoflagellate.

So to answer your question, no, Hematodinium has not been identified in warmwater or coldwater shrimp at this time.  It has been reported and well documented in the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus.  However, it is fair to say that the parasite will likely be found in other crustaceans as time goes by because of increased monitoring efforts and if the parasite continues to spread, naive susceptible hosts will likely encountered the parasite.”

Information: J. Frank Morado, Ph.D., National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment & Conservation Engineering Division, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070, USA (phone 1-206-526-6572, fax 1206-526-6723, email frank.morado@noaa.gov).

Sources: 1. Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  PEI University to Lead Study of Crab Disease Afflicting Lucrative Fishery.  Ken Coons (phone 1-781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com).  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  May 20, 2009.  2. Email to Shrimp News International from J. Frank Morado on June 1, 2009.

China

Maturation of Male Tiger Shrimp

Abstract: To evaluate the effect of age and body size on the development and maturation of Penaeus monodon, males from the same cohort at the age of 100, 120, 135, 156, 175, 205 and 236 days in a tidal pond (TP), and 100, 123, 140, 157, 185 and 258 days in an earthen pond (EP) were examined.  The earliest time of spermatophore production of the TP males (120 days) was significantly earlier (P < 0.001) than the EP males (157 days).  The minimum shrimp carapace length, body length and body weight of spermatophores were similar between the two environments.

The gonad weight, spermatophore weight, sperm count and percentage of normal sperm were positively correlated to body weight and age.  The sperm count was also positively correlated to both the gonad weight and the spermatophore weight.  Results showed that the age and size of male P. monodon significantly influenced the formation, development and maturation of spermatophores, sperm count and the percentage of normal sperm.

Males 236 days old (TP) and 258 days old (EP) had superior sperm quality than younger males within the same environment, based on observations of larger spermatophore weight, higher sperm count and higher percentage of normal sperm.

Source: Aquaculture.  Observations of reproductive development and maturation of male Penaeus monodon reared in tidal and earthen ponds.  Shi-Gui Jiang (jiangsg@21cn.com, Aquaculture and Biotechnology Division, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, China), Jian-Hua Huang, Fa-Lin Zhou, Xu Chena, Qi-Bing Yang, Wei-Geng Wen and Zi-Ming Ma.  Volume 292, Issues 1-2, Page 121, July 1, 2009.

European Union

Rejects Freshwater Prawns from Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh

On May 20, 2009, the European Union announced that it had rejected three shipments of freshwater prawns from Sri Lanka and one each from India and Bangladesh because it found nitrofuran metabolites in the prawns.

Anwar Hashim, President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), said the shipment from India must have been checked before India’s new testing and certifying scheme was in position.

Removing nitrofuran-based antibiotics from Indian hatcheries is likely to prove very difficult because they are inexpensive and effective, and alternative antibiotics are costly and have not been widely tested in India.

Source: Business Line.  EU Rejects Indian Seafood Shipments.  C.J. Punnathara.  May 22, 2009.

India

Wal-Mart Signs Deal with Aqua Alliance

Aqua Alliance, a shrimp farmer and processor, will be the exclusive supplier of frozen and chilled shrimp products to Wal-Mart’s first store in India, a wholesale-only operation named Best Price Modern Wholesale (Cash & Carry).  Allegedly, the cumbersome name was created to deflect the attention of politicians who oppose the entry of foreign multi-brand retailers.  Aqua Alliance expects to sell 20 to 30 metric tons of its “Cambay Tiger” shrimp, worth around $1 million, to Wal-Mart in the first year of the contract.

Rahul Kulkarni, Marketing Director at Aqua Alliance, said volumes and value will increase if Wal-Mart continues with its plans to open three more stores in India.  In 2008, Aqua Alliance, which started out as a shrimp hatchery 12 years ago, had sales of $16 million.  It forecasts a 30 percent growth rate in 2009.  It is the only Indian seafood company to be certified ISO 22000, BRC, HACCP, Friend of the Sea and European Union compliant.  “We are currently pursuing organic certification and are in the process of redesigning our processes to meet the audit requirements,” said Kulkarni.

Source: Boletin Informativo (Ecuador’s Camara Nacional de Acuacultura).  Editor, Jorge Tejada (jtejada@cna-ecuador.com).  Shrimp producer inks exclusive Wal-Mart deal.  May 21, 2009.

India

Wanted—Freshwater Prawn Broodstock from the USA

I am looking for information on purchasing freshwater prawn broodstock in the United States.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers).  From: Venkata Pallakila (p_venkatavardhakrishna@yahoo.co.in).  Subject: Freshwater Prawn Broodstock from U.S.  May 26, 2009.

Indonesia

UK Teenagers Work on Shrimp Farm and in Processing Plant

“Blood, Sweat and Takeaways” (BBC Television in the United Kingdom) shows five youths from the UK working at a shrimp farm and processing plant in Indonesia.

Here’s what one reviewer had to say about the show:

Hygiene is strictly enforced by Indonesian producers, which means the shrimp are fine and dandy.  The five young workers, however, were not “fine and dandy” with their living and working conditions.  A shack in the jungle with no running water in temperatures of 40 degrees centigrade and high humidity make for an uncomfortable life.

You should see the look of alarm when they’re shown the shrimp ponds and learn that they can flood and let crocodiles in among the shrimp harvesters.

Their first task is to build mud walls to stop the shrimp from being washed away.  A 1,000-meter mud wall must be constantly rebuilt.  After a few hours, they’ve managed just a few meters.  Reinforcements arrive in the fit and eager form of the farmer’s son James.  He doesn’t mind getting his hands—and the rest of him—dirty, while sloshing about in the mud.  The boss, alarmed at the slow progress, calls in Indonesian workers to complete the wall.

Conditions in the processing plant, where the shrimp are peeled and packed for shipping, aren’t much better.  This is hard, boring work for which modern young people are ill equipped physically or mentally.  Workers stand all day and are expected to peel over 1,000 shrimp an hour – that’s 8,000 a shift.  All for 56 cents an hour, the basic living wage in Indonesia.

Fast food junkie Manos is useless.  He’s slow and many of the shrimp he manages to peel are broken and therefore below the quality required.  The supervisor ties a yellow tape round his arm—a sign that he’s a bad worker—and sends him to peel at a separate table, commenting about the failure of Manos to show “the good spirit to learn”.

Source: The Northern Echo.  Mud Larks.  May 26, 2009.

Japan

Top Four Shrimp Importers

The four major seafood companies in Japan—Kyokuyo, Nichirei, Maruha Nichiro and Nissui—have closed their books on fiscal year 2008, which ended on March 31, 2009.

Kyokuyo lost money in its fisheries and distribution divisions, but made money in its processed food division.

Maruha Nichiro was profitable and performed relatively well in North America, helped by a surimi price increase and other factors, but it suffered a decline in overall annual sales because of a decline in its consignment business.  In addition, sales of processed foods deteriorated in the aftermath of the food scares in China.

Nissui witnessed lackluster performance in its fish farming and food processing operations overseas.  In Chile, where the company suffered the impact of the spread of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus, it concentrated on production of trout.  In the processed food sector, Nissui saw its net loss expand because of unfavorable performance of King and Prince Seafood in the USA and slow sales by its Chinese subsidiary, Shandong Sanfod Nissui, in the aftermath of the outbreak of food scandals.  Nissui intends to go all-out to resuscitate the operations of its troubled overseas subsidiaries, including Nissui Indonesia, before it marks the centenary of its founding in 2011.

Nichirei posted the first sales increase in six years and was profitable.  It actively promoted restructuring efforts through well-focused product line-ups and effective allocation of human resources.  The company fell short of achieving its projected business goal, however, due mostly to the impact of financial turmoil in the second half of the fiscal year.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Overview of FY2008 performance of Japan’s big 4 seafood companies.  Ken Coons (phone 1-781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com).  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  May 20, 2009.

Malaysia

Video of Ponds and Liners

To view a one-minute video of lined ponds, most of them empty, but some full with aerators running, in Peninsular Malaysia, click on the link below.

Source: YouTube.  Marine Prawn farming in Tg Karang of Selangor.  May 15, 2009.

Thailand

Government Will Not Buy Shrimp This Year

Shrimp farmers in southern Thailand have asked the government to purchase 10,000 metric tons of surplus shrimp.  Although the government made a similar purchase last year, it refused to do it this year.  On May 22, 2009, Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai, who chaired a working panel on farmer assistance, said the government would rather consider other forms of assistance such as soft loans for contract farming and subsidies for production costs.

Under its price-pledging scheme, the government bought 10,000 tons of shrimp in 2008 at $3.05 to $4.65 per kilogram.  So far, it has only been able to sell 7,492 tons of it and anticipates a loss of $14.3 million if it can’t sell the rest.

Source: Bangkok Post.  Shrimp Offer Rejected.  Phusadee Arunmas.  May 23, 2005.

United States

Hawaii—Shrimp 2009 Conference in Hawaii in October

Oceanic Institute’s Shrimp 2009 Conference, “Integrated Technologies for Advanced Shrimp Production,” will be held October 13-15, 2009, in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The conference will focus on the current status of shrimp farming technology worldwide and provide information on biosecurity, disease management and genetic improvements.

This small, 3-day conference offers participants many opportunities for interaction and discussion with the renowned plenary speakers.

Plan to stay an extra day and tour The Oceanic Institute on Friday, October 16, 2009.

Early registration fees apply through June 23, 2009.

Information: Pat O’Bryen, Director, Aquaculture Interchange Program/Information Specialist, Oceanic Institute, 41-202 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795, USA (phone 1-808-259-3176, fax 1-808-259-8395, email pobryen@oceanicinstitute.org).

Webpage: Click on the Shrimp 2009 Conference link at http//www.oceanicinstitute.org or go to http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=7be60c4d-f401-4b43-9e77-6bbbe5887c4b.

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from at Pat O’Bryen on May 26, 2009.

United States

Illinois—A Bag of Shrimp

A bag of shrimp in the freezer is like a helping hand.  It’s a great backup for those nights when you just can’t make it to the store to pick up dinner.  The shrimp thaws quickly in a bowl of cold water.  With a bit of seasoning and a quick sauté, it’s versatile enough to go over rice or, in this case, pasta, to make a filling entree.

Source: Wenatcheeworld.com.  On the Low-fat Menu: Dinner’s in the Bag with Frozen Shrimp.  Carol Mighton Haddix.  May 12, 2009.

United States

Massachusetts—Dr. Acacia Warren, Change of Address

Dr. Acacia Warren, formerly an Assistant Professor at Tufts University, School of Veterinary Medicine, reports: “I will be leaving Tufts University in August 2009 to start my own shrimp biotechnology company to promote shrimp farming in the northeast and continue my shrimp genomics research.  I would appreciate it very much if you could change my email address from acacia.warren@tufts.edu to environmentalgenomics.warren@gmail.com.  I am also the current President of the Fundacion for Conservacion de la Biodiversidad Acuatica y Terrestre (FUCOBI) of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and plan to continue my population genetics and genomics research aimed at conservation of wild shrimp populations worldwide.”

Information: Acacia Alcivar-Warren, D.V.M., Ph.D., President, Environmental Genomics, Inc., Southborough, Massachusetts 01772, USA (phone 1-508-344-8106, email environmentalgenomics.warren@gmail.com.)

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Acacia Warren on May 26, 2009.

United States

Texas—Shrimp and Fish Farming Short Course

The 24th Annual Texas Shrimp Farming Short Course and Marine Finfish Culture Course is scheduled for September 30 through October 6, 2009.  The course will be conducted at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas and at shrimp and fish farms on the Texas coast.

Information: The 2009 course announcement brochure and updated agenda is available at http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu/Outreach/Short Course/shortcourse.html.

Information: Peggy Foster, Texas Sea Grant College Program, 2700 Earl Rudder Freeway South, Suite 1800, College Station, Texas 77845, USA (phone 1-979-845-1245, fax 1-979-845-7525, email pfoster@tamu.edu).

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 1-979-845-7527, fax 1-979-845-7525, email g-treece@neo.tamu.edu, website http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu).

Source: Email (with attachments) to Shrimp News International from Granvil Treece on March 27, 2009.

United States

Washington DC—The New FDA Commissioner

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, a bioterrorism expert, will soon be sworn in as the 21st commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, only the second woman to hold the post in the agency’s history.

Hamburg, 53, told senators at her confirmation hearing that she wants to restore public confidence in the agency by putting science first and running an open and accountable operation.

On food safety, Hamburg says she wants to shift from chasing diseases after they have broken out to preventing them in the first place.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Senate confirms Dr. Margaret Hamburg as FDA commissioner.  Ken Coons (phone 1-781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com).  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  May 19, 2009.

United States

Washington, DC—Shrimp Import Statistics

The USA Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service publishes some great statistics on USA Aquaculture and USA Shrimp Imports.  Here are some of its statistics that show the total value and volume of shrimp imports for several countries from 2004 to 2008.  If you click on the links at the bottom of the table, you will be taken to pages that breakdown total shrimp imports into frozen, fresh and prepared categories.

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