FDA Visits Shrimp and Prawn Farms in Bangladesh
and Helps Train a Cadre of People in
Good Aquaculture Practices

In May 2009, the Bangladesh Government suspended freshwater prawn exports to Europe until November 30, 2009.  Bangladesh needed time to figured out how to keep antibiotics (nitrofurans) out of its prawn shipments.

On November 3, 2009, a high-level, four-member delegation of United States Food and Drug Administration officials, along with an entourage of university, government, non-government and private sector people, visited shrimp and prawn farms in Khulna and Bagerhat districts.  Brett Knoose, Cristina Hileman (picture below), Kaniz Shireen and Stanley Serfling (picture below) made up the USA team.

Brett Knoose, USA Food and Drug Administration team leader on the mission, was also team leader for an seven-member team that conducted a five-day training course on Good Aquacultural Practices in the city of Khulna.  The USA’s Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) worked with FDA on this course, intended for a cadre of people who will eventually train others in the shrimp industry.  In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation and Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association organized the course.  Ten professors from universities in Khulna, Dhaka,

Mymenshing and Chittagong;

twenty-four officers from the Research Institute of Fisheries; three farmers; and four exporters took the training course.  They will carry the Good Aquacultural Practices message to shrimp and prawn farmers throughout the country.

The Good Aquacultural Practices Training Program was developed by a team of seafood specialists in 2006 and was piloted in Vietnam that same year.  It is a joint effort of the FDA, the University of Maryland (USA) and Virginia Tech (USA).  The program has also been conducted in Thailand and Indonesia.

JIFSAN was established in 1996 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Maryland and the FDA.  Since then, more than 800 participants in 18 countries have been trained in Good Agricultural Practices, Good Aquacultural Practices, or Commercially Sterile Packaged Foods.

Information: Rita Chappelle, FDA Media Inquiries (phone 1-301-796-4672, email rita.chappelle@fda.hhs.gov).

Information: Stanley Serfling, Consumer Safety Officer, Food and Drug Administration, Office of Food Safety Shellfish and Aquaculture, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA (phone 1-301-436-2320, email stanley.serfling@fda.hhs.gov).  Serfling supplied the pictures that you see here.

Sources: 1. The New Nation.  USFDA Team Visits Shrimp Industrial Areas in Bagerhat.  November 5, 2009.  2. The New Nation.  US FDA Team Leader Says: Following “Good Aquaculture Practice” a Must to Achieve Goal in Exporting Shrimp.  Munir Uddin Ahmad.  November 7, 2009.  3. FDA News Release.  FDA, JIFSAN Travel to Bangladesh to Teach Seafood Safety.  November 2, 2009.  4. Telephone conversation with Stanley Serfling on November 17, 2009.  5. Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, November 19, 2009.

Country Reports

Ecuador

El Niño

El Niño is expected to continue strengthening and last through at least the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2009-2010.

There continues to be disagreement on the eventual strength of the 2009-2010 El Niño and how long it will last.  Most of the computer models suggest that it will last through March-May 2010, although the most likely outcome is that El Niño will reach moderate strength and last through at least the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2009-2010.

Expected El Niño impacts from November 2009 through January 2010 include enhanced precipitation over the central tropical Pacific Ocean and a continuation of drier-than-average conditions over Indonesia.  In the United States, potential impacts include above-average precipitation in Florida, central and eastern Texas and California, with below-average precipitation for parts of the Pacific Northwest.  Above-average temperatures and below-average snowfall are likely for the Northern Rockies, Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, while below-average temperatures are expected for the southeastern states.

Oceanic and atmospheric conditions are updated weekly on the Climate Prediction Center website (El Niño/La Niña Current Conditions and Expert Discussions).  The next ENSO Diagnostics Discussion is scheduled for December 10, 2009.  To receive an email notification when the monthly ENSO Diagnostic Discussions are released, send an email message to ncep.list.enso-update@noaa.gov.

Source: El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion.  Climate Prediction Center.  November 5, 2009.

India

Giant Prawn 2011

Michael New, Founder of Aquaculture without Frontiers, Past-President of the World Aquaculture Society, Past-President European Aquaculture Society and author of several books on freshwater prawn farming, reports:

I am delighted to inform you that World Aquaculture Society Asia-Pacific Conference (WAS-APC) will be held in Kochi (Cochin), India, on January 17-21, 2011.

I am therefore able to start planning the details of Giant Prawn 2011, which will form a significant component of the WAS-APC event.  In doing so, I will be working with my great friends and colleagues at Kerala Agricultural University.

Currently, I intend to organize a three-day technical meeting (January 19-21, 2011) covering every aspect of freshwater prawn farming, with an additional opportunity to visit local prawn farms (provisionally, on January 22, 2011).  Kerala is an important Macrobrachium farming area.  I hope to provide keynote speakers on each topic (hatchery, growout, nutrition, health), and there will be opportunities for submitted papers on each topic.

Participants will need to register in the normal way for the WAS-APC meeting.  Further details of the WAS parent meeting will become available from WAS in due course.  There will be no additional fee for attending Giant Prawn 2011, as it will be a component session of the WAS event.  There will be a charge for attending the post-conference tours.

Participants who wish to present oral or poster papers at Giant Prawn 2011 will be required to submit their abstracts to WAS in the normal manner, clearly marking them for Giant Prawn 2011.  Details about this process will become available later.  At the moment, I anticipate that each presenter of an oral paper will have fifteen minutes to present, plus five minutes for questions.  I would like to emphasize that, as in all WAS meetings, time-keeping will be controlled by session chairs, who will be expected to be very strict.  No speaker will be allowed to continue after 20 minutes.

New said, “I will keep you informed as our plans mature.”  Information: Michael New, Giant Prawn 2011 (new.macrobrachium@yahoo.co.uk).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Michael New on November 6, 2009.

Malaysia

Nyan Taw

For a great PDF/slide show on the status of biofloc shrimp farming around the world, click here.  With broadband, it takes a couple of minutes to download.  It’s Nyan Taw’s, General Manager and Senior Technical Advisor at i-SHARP, a 1,000-hectare shrimp farm that is under construction in Malaysia, presentation at Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2009 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 6, 2009).  Mostly color pictures, maps, charts and tables, it provides a good look at biofloc equipment and projects in Indonesia, Peru, Guatemala, China, Malaysia and Belize.

Information: Dr. Nyan Taw, i-SHARP SETIU, SDN., BHD., T3.9, KPMG Tower, 8 First Avenue, Persiaran Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (phone +603-7725-0020, fax +603-7725-2050, email nyan.taw@bluearchipelago.com, webpage http://www.nyantaw.com).

Source: Potential for Development of Biofloc Technology for Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Farming.  Nyan Taw.  Presented at Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2009.  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 6, 2009.

Malaysia

i-SHARP

Dr. Shahridan Faiez, chief executive officer of Blue Archipelago, Bhd., the developer of i-SHARP, a 1,000-hectare shrimp farm that’s under development in the state of Terengganu, said the shrimp farm will have very little impact on the environment.  He said,  “We have taken a proactive stance.  We are the first aquaculture farm in the country to conduct a detailed environmental impact assessment for our project,” adding that 24% of the site, or 243 hectares, would be allocated to a “green lung” area and two hectares would be reserved for a River Terrapin Conservation Centre.

“We conducted extensive public consultation and workshops, and met with WWF-Malaysia, non-governmental organizations and key stakeholders.  We went [to the site] and interviewed families staying within a five kilometer radius from the project site,” Dr. Shahridan said.

He said Blue Archipelago was also working with the government to come up with an environmental monitoring program for i-SHARP.  “We are marketing our products to the international market, where there are many powerful environmental groups, especially in Europe.  We would be shooting ourselves in the foot if the project causes damage to the environment in any way,” he pointed out.

Dr. Shahridan estimates an annual revenue of $30 million from the project, which is slated to begin operations in June 2010.

Source: The Star Online.  Green Shrimp Farm.  Chew Wan Ying.  November 4, 2009.

Mexico

Detection of Shrimp Viruses in Phytoplankton

The aim of this study was to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to determine the presence of WSS and IHHN viruses in zooplankton groups collected in the San Ignacio-Navachiste-Macapule Lagoon complex and a shrimp farm near this complex.  About six different groups of zooplankton were tested.  The findings indicate that fish eggs and larvae, cladocera, quetognatos, decapods, cirripedios and copepods can serve as an alternate proliferation host for shrimp viruses.  Some samples were positive for both viruses.  This suggests that zooplankton may act as a vector of shrimp viruses and may play a role in the dispersion of viruses to wild and farmed shrimp.

Information: John Cooksey, World Aquaculture Conference Management, P.O. Box 2302, Valley Center, California 92082, USA (phone 1-760-751-5005, fax 1-760-751-5003, email worldaqua@aol.com, webpage https://www.was.org).

Source: The Abstracts of World Aquaculture 2009 (on CD).  Detection of Shrimp Viruses (WSV and IHHNV) in Zooplankton Groups in Northwest Mexico.  Píndaro Álvarez-Ruiz (palvarez@ipn.mx), Héctor M. Esparza-Leal and Wenceslao Valenzuela-Quiñónez (Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional-IPN Unidad Sinaloa, Blvd. Juan de Dios Bátiz Paredes # 250, Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico 81101).  Veracruz, Mexico, September 2009.

Middle East

Job—Shrimp Farm Equipment, Operation and Maintenance

Indo-Gulf Shrimps is looking for someone with a degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering to maintain its diesel engines and aeration equipment.  Candidates with a knowledge of Arabic that come from Kerala, India, will be given preference.

Information: Ramakrishna Reddy (indgulfshrimps@ymail.com).

Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world’s electronic aquaculture resources).  Jobs Directory in cooperation with the WAS Employment Service.  Search jobs.  Shrimp Farm Equipment Operation And Maintenance.  November 15, 2009.

Philippines

Thailand’s CP Foods to Spend $65 Million on Shrimp Farming

Reuters reports:

On November 10, 2009, Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Foods said its 2009 net profit could hit a record high of $300 million due to strong exports and growth in its foreign subsidiaries.  In 2010, CPF plans to spend $65 million on its shrimp farming business in the Philippines.

Source: Reuters.com.  Update 1-Thai CP Foods Forecasts Record Net Profit in 2009.  November 10, 2009.  Reported by Manunphattr Dhanananphorn, written by Viparat Jantraprap and edited by Alan Raybould.  November 10, 2009.

Spain

Huelva Province, Site of Spain’s Two Shrimp Farms

Spain’s two shrimp farms—Acuinova (Pescanova Group) and Maresa SA—are based in Huelva Province.  Both have hatcheries and can produce up to 45 tons of kuruma shrimp (Penaeus japonicus) annually.

According to Acuinova spokesman Juan Jose Mateo, his company has been in the aquaculture business since 1994.  It sells shrimp mainly to wholesalers and restaurants—and to individuals during the holidays.  When asked about exporting shrimp, Mateo said, “It is a delicate subject because the shrimp are sold live and long trips affect them.”

Antonio Concepcion, the manager of Maresa, said his company focuses on the production of postlarvae.  Production fell to 1.5 million larvae in 2008, which were sold in Spain, Portugal, France and Chile.  Concepcion said, “It is not an important activity for us; we focus more on fish and mollusk production.  Nevertheless, we continue producing it for [different] reasons: on the one hand, romantic, and on the other, because it is a species that we handle perfectly.”

Source: FIS United States.  Huelva, Site of Pioneer Prawn Breeding.  Analia Murias (editorial@fis.com).  November 11, 2009.

Thailand

Penaeus vannamei Shows Its Numbers

These data clearly show that the driving force behind Thailand’s change from Penaeus monodon to P. vannamei farming was the superior production economics of vannamei.  Crop value and profits ($/ha) with vannamei are 2-3 times greater than those with monodon.  Reliability of production (avoidance of disease) is also higher with SPF vannamei.

Source: The Rising Tide.  The Proceedings of the Special Session on Sustainable Shrimp Farming.  Edited by Craig L. Browdy and Darryl E. Jory.  Published by the World Aquaculture Society.  World Shrimp Farming Revolution: Industry Impact of Domestication, Breeding and Widespread Use of Specific Pathogen Free Penaeus vannamei.  James Wyban (High Health Aquaculture, Inc., 73-4460 Kaahumanu Highway #117, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740, USA, email jim.wyban@gmail.com, webpage http://www.spfgenetics.com).  Page 12.  2009.

Thailand

Agreement with the Southern Shrimp Alliance Rescinds Dumping Tariffs!

On November 2, 2009, the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), the group of shrimp processors and fishermen in the southeastern United States that initiated the dumping case, announced that it reached an agreement with Thai shrimp exporters to rescind USA dumping tariffs on Thai shrimp.  In exchange, Thai shrimp exporters will fund an endowment to help the USA shrimp industry compete with imported product.

Together, SSA and Thai shrimp exporters will ask the USA Department of Commerce (DOC) to initiate a “changed circumstances review” so the agency can determine whether revoking the tariffs is justified.

SSA said the changed circumstances review would not include the five other countries subject to tariffs: China, Vietnam, India, Ecuador and Brazil.

Source: SeafoodSource.com.  Editor Steven Hedlund (shedlune@divcom.com).  Pact Reached to Rescind Shrimp Tariffs.  Steven Hedlund.  November 5, 2009.

United States

California—Shrimp News International, Updates to Free Reports Page

Hi, I’ve added some new items to the Free Reports Page.  Scroll to the bottom of the Free Reports page, and check the last four items.

Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, November 18, 2009.

United States

Hawaii—The Oceanic Institute’s Feed Mill

The Oceanic Institute recently began operating a sophisticated feed mill to research and develop aquaculture feeds using local ingredients, including seafood trimmings and byproducts of crops such as papaya.

The mill, which is capable of producing 300 pounds of feed an hour, is an experimental prototype for a larger mill to be built on the big island by 2012 that will be able to conduct research on feed production methods and do large-scale feed trials on farms.

The USA feed industry is donating $1.7 million worth of equipment to establish the $4 million mill, which is designed to produce four tons of feed an hour.  It has all the necessary funding from the USA Department of Agriculture, the state and several local foundations.

Tony Ostrowski, president of the Oceanic Institute, said the mill would be the second mill in the USA, after one at Kansas State University, for researching and developing animal feeds and the first to focus on aquaculture.

The mill project is being developed in collaboration with the USDA’s Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo.

Although the Oceanic Institute, an affiliate of Hawaii Pacific University, has long been involved with helping aquaculture farms develop feeds, the prototype mill will help it advance its research capabilities to a larger and more sophisticated level.

Ostrowski said a main source for feeds that the institute has already tested on smaller scales for fish and shrimp is waste produced from filleting and processing seafood, 75 to 80 percent of which is imported to Hawaii.  About half that waste product is discarded in landfills.

Other potential ingredients for feed include protein-rich byproducts from crops such as algae, palm and jatropha, after oils are extracted to produce fuel.

Source: HonoluluAdvertiser.com.  Feed Mill Aims to Bring Local Flavor to Isle Farms.  Andrew Gomes (agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com).  November 9, 2009.

United States

South Carolina—Southern Shrimp Alliance and Dumping

The sunset review of the USA shrimp dumping duties comes up in 2010, and there is a lot of discussion over whether attempts should be made to scrap all the dumping duties.  How?  Exporters could take their case to the International Trade Commission and request a ruling that all duties be revoked because no further harm is occurring.  Or, they might be able to get a settlement if all parties agree not to contest the expiration of the dumping rules.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance has announced that the USA and Thai Shrimp Industries are going to propose a joint settlement of the dumping order (see Thailand above) and request the USA Department of Commerce to conduct a changed circumstances review for Thailand.  Such an action will not affect the dumping duties in place for the five other countries involved in the dumping action: India, Brazil, China, Vietnam and Ecuador.

In the case of Ecuador, the ITC has already ruled that the duties are diminimus, and the duties have essentially been lifted.

The SSA is now in a position where it needs to replenish its revenues after receiving approximately $18 million in payments from exporters after the first year of the dumping duties.

According to their non-profit tax forms filed with the IRS for the year 2006-2007, ending September 30 2007, assets at the beginning of the year were $12.5 million, with expenses of $5.2 million, of which 3.3 million (63%) were legal expenses.  For the year 2007-2008 beginning assets were $8.0 million, total expenses were $4.5 million, of which $3.2 million (70%) were for legal fees, leaving assets of $4.6 million as of October 1, 2008.

If this spending pattern continued into 2009, SSA would have run through most of its funds and would need to replenish its revenue in order to pay for the same level of legal services in 2010.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Southern Shrimp Alliance and Thailand Propose Shrimp Anti-Dumping Settlement Based on Payment to SSA.  John Sackton.  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  November 5, 2009.

Vietnam

Shrimp Shortage at Processing Plants

Many seafood processing plants in the Mekong Delta have reportedly been running at 50% capacity, which means dire problems for the plants, no jobs for workers and farmers without products.

Shrimp and fish shortages have existed for the last several years, but they have never before been so serious, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on its website.

Nguyen Thong Nhan, Deputy Director of the Ca Mau Department for Agriculture and Rural Development, reported that seafood processing plants in the province are running at 48% capacity because of shrimp shortages.  The province has 264,500 hectares of shrimp ponds.

Pham Anh Dao, Senior Executive of Phu Cuong Processing Import-Export Company, confirmed that the factory is running at 50% of capacity and sometimes even 5%-10% of capacity.  Dao fears that the shortage will become more serious in early 2010.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Some Mekong Processors Running Below 50% Capacity as Shortages of Shrimp, Pangasius Limit Production.  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  November 10, 2009.

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