Country Reports

Australia

Rock Lobster Growout Trial

Western Kingfish Limited, an aquaculture company in the state of Western Australia that’s listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, has been granted a license to collect 15,000 early stage juvenile rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus) for a commercial-scale growout trial.  To visit Western Kingfish’s webpage, click here.

Source: FisheNews (an email supplement to Austasia Aquaculture magazine).  Editor, Tim Walker (austasiaaquaculture@netspace.net.au).  Rock Lobster Growout Trial to Proceed.  May 6, 2008.

Bangladesh

Rice Farmers Switching to Shrimp Farming

Farmers in Munshiganj, a small village in southwestern Bangladesh that’s 90 kilometers from the coast, have shifted from rice and vegetable farming to shrimp farming.  The gradual increase in sea level has brought saltwater from the Bay of Bengal into the village.  Rice and vegetable crops can no longer be grown in the village because of the seawater.  Blame global warming!

Source: The Daily PCIJ.  Climate change to worsen already low food production in Asia—Experts.  Pamela Ordoveza.  May 6, 2008.

Belgium

Probiotics

Abstract: A mixture of specific Bacillus strains has been designed to inhibit a range of pathogenic Vibrios in shrimp hatcheries and to degrade waste products in shrimp ponds.  Using data from Asian and Latin American shrimp hatcheries and farms, this study reports on the performance of a commercially available mixture of Bacillus strains (SANOLIFE^®MIC) with Penaeus monodon and P. vannamei.  The results show that probiotics may be a suitable alternative to the prophylactic use of antibiotics.

Source: Electronical Larviculture Newsletter.  Editor Gilbert Van Stappen (gilbert.vanstappen@ugent.be).  Editor Gilbert Van Stappen (gilbert.vanstappen@ugent.be).  Probiotics for Shrimp Larviculture: Review of Field Data from Asia and Latin America.  Olivier Decamp (o.decamp@inve.be), David J. W. Moriarty and Patrick Lavens (INVE Technologies NV, Hoogveld 93, 9200 Dendermonde, Belgium).  Issue 288, May 1, 2008.

Belize

Shrimp News International

I’ve posted a long interview with Linda Thornton to the History of Shrimp Farming in the Western Hemisphere page at my webpage.  Click here to check it out.

In 1979, Linda started her shrimp farming career at the King James project, the first recirculating shrimp farm in the United States.  Then she went to Belize where she has worked on shrimp farms for the last 26 years.  Currently, she manages Aqua Mar Belize, Inc., a 1,000-acre shrimp farm, and owns her own 100-acre extensive shrimp farm.

Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, May 16, 2008.

China

Antibiotics

In March 2008, inspectors checking Chinese seafood arriving at USA ports made some unsettling discoveries: fish infected with salmonella in Baltimore and Seattle and shrimp with banned veterinary drugs in Florida.

The findings were not isolated cases.  According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) records, inspectors turned away nearly 400 shipments of tainted seafood in a year’s time from China.  The records told a troubling tale, but even more troubling was what they didn’t tell.  Only a tiny fraction of imports are inspected at all, and even fewer are tested.  “When you look at less than one percent of shipments and sample and test maybe one-fifth of those, there’s no way you can protect the American food supply,” said Michael Taylor, a former FDA official who is a professor of health policy at George Washington University in Washington DC, USA.

FDA officials are requesting new authority, including the ability to license private companies to assist with inspections, but the Bush administration has signaled opposition to provisions that would require regular inspections in foreign lands.  It also objects to provisions that limit shipments to ports with FDA labs.

William Hubbard, a former FDA associate commissioner, who retired in 2005, said, “As our system becomes more antiquated and more ineffective, the world is sending us its junk.”

Source: SeafoodSource.com.  Chinese Seafood Targeted in Effort to Revamp Food Safety.  May 5, 2008.

Ecuador

Langosmar S.A.

Langosmar S.A., a shrimp farm and processing company, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Blue Horizon, a California (USA) company that supplies sustainable seafood in North America.  Langosmar shrimp is certified by Naturland, which is based in Germany and the global leader in organic aquaculture certification.  Naturland prohibits growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives (such as phosphates) and artificial colorings, and it factors water quality, environmental stewardship, sustainability and labor practices into its standards.

Langosmar has been farming and processing shrimp in Ecuador for more than 25 years.  Its founder and president, Dr. Alejandro Aguayo-Cubillo, is passionate about his shrimp-farming methods.  “We look forward to working with Blue Horizon to build the USA market for chemical-free shrimp that is safe for the consumer and the environment,” said Aguayo-Cubillo.

Shrimp from Langosmar is found in Blue Horizon’s frozen entrees and appetizers, which are sold throughout North America.  “We’re delighted to source shrimp that is the product of the highest standards in the industry,” said John Battendieri, Blue Horizon’s chief executive officer.  “Not only does Langosmar run an environmentally conscious farm operation with several quality certifications, it also cares for its employees who take a great deal of pride in the work they do.”  Battendieri recently visited Langosmar’s processing plant and farm to observe its practices firsthand.  He was pleased to note that Langosmar shrimp feed on naturally occurring phytoplankton and zooplankton, fostered by the thousands of hectares of mangroves that surround the farm.

Blue Horizon has worked with the National Fisheries Institute and the National Organic Program Task Force to help pave the way for USDA’s organic aquaculture standards.  Its shrimp complies with USDA’s draft standards, which are currently under review, and it will be among the first companies to be certified once the standards become official.

Source: The FishSite.  Langosmar Organic Shrimp in Domestic Distribution Deal.  May 2, 2008.

United States

Alabama—Reducing Fish Meal in Shrimp Feeds

The objective of this project was to provide technical assistance to feed mills and shrimp farmers so that they would be comfortable trying new feed formulations with lower levels of fish meal.  Regional seminars were conducted in México, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia to disseminate results obtained at research centers on the utilization of fish meal in shrimp feeds.  Shrimp farmers were asked to compare their feeds with a feed that contained less fish meal.  The level of inclusion was determined by the producers so that they would feel comfortable with the experiment.  Trials were conducted in Ecuador and Mexico in 2006 and Venezuela and Colombia in 2007.  The trials showed that fish meal could be reduced by 50% to 75%, compared to the feeds that the farmers were currently using!

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).

Source: World Aquaculture Society.  The CD of Aquaculture 2008 America (Orlando, Florida, USA, February 2008).  Abstract #308.  Commercial Experiences on Production of Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Using Feed with Low Fish Meal Inclusion.  Herbert E. Quintero (fonsehq@auburn.edu) and D. Allen Davis (Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5419 USA).

United States

California—Wanted, SPF Penaeus vannamei postlarvae

I am looking for 60-100 billion SPF Penaeus vannamei postlarvae a year for my clients in Asia.

Information: Steve Phillips, Vice President, KVI Group, Inc., 160 West Foothill Parkway, Suite 105-114, Corona, CA 92882 USA (phone 951-898-8814, cell 951-479-6597, email kvigroup@aol.com).

Source: Email from Steve Phillips to Shrimp News International on May 13, 2008.

United States

Hawaii—Kahuku Shrimp Truck

A blogger reports: “On a recent excursion to Oahu (for you mainlanders it’s one of the Hawaiian islands) a tourist asked me if I could recommend any good places to eat.  ‘I suggest that you get your ass back on the road and head over to the Kahuku Shrimp Farm where you can dine on yummy shrimp...a culinary roadside delight that’s served right out the back of the of the famous Kahuku Shrimp Truck.’”

Source: HawaiianAlohaShirts BlogSpot.com. Good Eats in Oahu.  May 2, 2008.

United States

Missouri—Peter Redmond Joins Global Aquaculture Alliance

On May 12, 2008, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) announced that Peter Redmond would become part of the GAA team.  He will promote GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) to retail and foodservice operators in the United States and the European Union.  After five years as Wal-Mart’s vice president and divisional merchandise manager of deli and seafood, Redmond recently served as senior director in the retailers’ sustainability department.

Redmond said, “In my former role with Wal-Mart, I had the opportunity to review many eco-labeling programs.  BAP, in my view, has the broadest stakeholder approval of any program being proposed today.”

The Global Aquaculture Alliance is a nonprofit, nongovernmental international organization whose mission is to promote environmentally responsible aquaculture to meet world food needs.

Information: Peter Redmond (email predmon14@aol.com).

Information: Jeanne McKnight, Media Contact, Global Aquaculture Alliance, 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A, St. Louis, Missouri 63129 USA (phone 314-293-5500, fax 314-293-5525, email jmcknight@mcknightpr.com, webpage http://www.gaalliance.org).

Source: Email from Jeanne McKnight to Shrimp News International on May 12, 2008.

United States

Nevada—Las Vegas, the 99-Cent Shrimp Cocktail is History

The Golden Gate hotel and casino in Las Vegas, after nearly five decades of selling shrimp cocktails for 99 cents, has raised the price to $1.99.  “It’s certainly not a gasoline-type gouging we’re going for here,” said Scott DeAngelo, hotel vice president of gaming and marketing.  “It remains a good value and it remains damn good.”  Food and Beverage Director Michael Storm blamed the cost increase at Las Vegas’ oldest hotel/casino on the rising cost of coldwater shrimp.  The 99-cent item was placed on the hotel’s menu in 1959, and the casino sold more than 30 million shrimp cocktails at that price.

Source: United Press International.  99-cent Vegas shrimp special is history.  May 4, 2008.

United States

South Carolina—Job

The College of Charleston has a postdoc position open for the study of diseases in oysters, crabs and shrimp.

Location: Hollings Marine Laboratory

Salary: $38,000.

Closing Date: July 31, 2008.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a Ph.D. with research experience in an area relevant to physiology or immunology of marine organisms.

Description: This NSF/NOAA grant-funded position has a minimum duration of two years and is available immediately.

Information: Candidates should send a résumé and the names of three references to Dr. Karen Burnett (burnettk@cofc.edu, phone 843-762-8933), College of Charleston, Grice Marine Laboratory, 205 Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC 29412 USA.  Additional information about the lab’s research and location is available at http://www.cofc.edu/~burnettk.

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.  Postdoc Physiology & Immunology.  Posted: May 2, 2008.

United States

Washington DC—Senate Passes Seafood Safety Bill

The Senate Commerce Committee has unanimously passed a bill that would expand the federal government’s ability to monitor the USA seafood supply.  Titled “The Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act”, it would give the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the authority to work with the USA Food and Drug Administration to test seafood imports and inspect foreign seafood facilities and would increase the number of NOAA laboratories.  Currently, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service is primarily responsible for managing the nation’s fisheries, while the FDA monitors the USA food supply.  Senators Ted Stevens (Republican-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (Democrat-Hawaii) introduced the bill in early March 2008.  The bill would also give the FDA more authority to detain seafood imports suspected of containing illegal substances.

The bill would expedite seafood imports from countries that maintain high seafood-production standards.

There is no sister bill in the House, although House Energy and Commerce Chair John Dingell (Democrat-Michigan) has drafted import safety legislation that covers food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics.

Source: SeafoodSource.com.  Senate Committee Passes Seafood Safety Bill.  May 5, 2008.

Vietnam

Shrimp Farmers Switching to Salt Farming

A sharp increase in the price of salt has encouraged some shrimp farmers in the Mekong Delta to switch to salt farming.  Several years ago, the price of salt fell to $6.25 a ton.  Unable to earn a living from making salt, a lot of farmers in the Mekong Delta shifted to shrimp farming.  In 2008, however, the price of salt increased considerably, rising to as much as $75 a ton.  The cost of salt production is about $11.25 per ton, while the price of salt is currently $61.62 per ton.  Salt farmers can earn up to $1,825 per hectare.

Source: VietnamNetBridge.  Salt makers rake in the dough on rising prices.  May 4, 2008.

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