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April 6, 2007
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Vannamei Gets Its First Name Back!
Thanks to Dr. T.W. Flegel
The current issue of the journal Aquaculture contains a review article written by Dr. T.W. Flegel, a professor at Mahidol University in Thailand, that says it's okay to drop the "Lito" from Litopenaeus and use the binomial* Penaeus vannamei again! In fact, the journal Aquaculture, the most prestigious of the fish and shellfish farming journals, encourages it!
[*Binomial nomenclature: In biology, the formal method of naming species. As the word "binomial" suggests, the scientific name of a species is formed by the combination of two terms: the genus name, in this case "Penaeus", and the specific descriptor, in this case "vannamei".]
In a 1997 book, Penaeoid and Sergestoid Shrimps and Prawns of the World (Keys and Diagnoses for the Families and Genera), Dr. Isabel Pérez Farfante and Dr. Brian Kensley proposed some changes in the way scientists refer to the popular farmed shrimp species, and those changes were routinely accepted by scientists worldwide. Except for the giant tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, which got to keep the "Penaeus" title, all the other popular farmed species had to add a few syllables to their genus name. Good old Penaeus vannamei became Litopenaeus vannamei. And there were similar changes for stylirostris, indicus, chinensis, japonicus and several other farmed species.
Excerpts from the Abstract of Flegel's Review
"Pérez Farfante and Kensley's monograph of the penaeoid and sergestoid shrimps and prawns of the world incorporated a proposed taxonomic revision by raising former sub-genera in the genus Penaeus to generic rank. This would result in replacement of the 27 traditional penaeid shrimp binomials with an almost completely new set. Due to general unfamiliarity regarding the rules of zoological nomenclature, non-specialists in the shrimp industry and even scientists in related academic fields felt that they were obliged by taxonomic rules to follow the changes embodied in the monograph, whether they agreed with them or not. Others more familiar with their rights (including myself) continued to use the traditional binomials. The result has been some confusion in shrimp nomenclature in the succeeding nine years."
"The purpose of this review is to argue that the revisions embodied in the Pérez Farfante and Kensley monograph are extremely disruptive to communication amongst practitioners in the shrimp fishery and the shrimp aquaculture industry and to scientists and students who study shrimp. This feature alone is counter to the goal of stability embodied in the zoological code of nomenclature and can alone be sufficient justification to consider the proposed revisions unacceptable. Indeed, the success of proposed taxonomic revisions does not fall under the zoological code, since the code is concerned with issues of priority. Instead, revisions survive or die depending on the majority action of the whole impacted community acting as individuals to accept them by use or reject them by disuse. Apart from arguments based on nomenclatural stability, I will attempt to show that sufficient new genetic information on penaeid shrimp has been accumulated in the past nine years to show that there is no compelling reason to accept the revisions."
Excerpts from the Body of Flegel's Review
"The purpose of this review is to describe the background for the proposed taxonomic revision in Penaeus, to inform the general shrimp community of their right to partake in accepting or rejecting the proposed revision and to propose a way forward in the interim transitory period during which the majority opinion about the proposed revision is determined."
"Thus, decisions regarding taxonomic ranks are determined by a consensus process amongst end users. Disagreements are not uncommon, even among specialists."
"No one is obliged by the rules of zoological nomenclature to accept the revisions in penaeid shrimp binomials proposed by Pérez Farfante and Kensley (1997). Given the potential disruptive effect of the proposed changes in scientific communication and trade, I believe that very strong arguments should have been put forward as to why the changes were technically and practically necessary. This should have involved a discussion of all the issues as they might impact on the shrimp fishery and the shrimp culture industry. Ideally in such situations, all those impacted should listen to one another, recognize and respect other points of view and thereby gain a broader appreciation of systematics and of the whole range of different attitudes held by colleagues around the world."
"Since such a process did not take place prior to publication of the Pérez Farfante and Kensley (1997) monograph, it must take place after the fact, and it is important that all the people who use penaeid shrimp binomials understand that they have an individual right to accept the proposed revisions or reject them. The way to express their opinion is simply to use the binomial system of their choice in speech and in writing. However, this decision should be carefully considered. Therefore, I would like to present some arguments that might be made for and against the proposed revisions."
"I recommend that authors who are pressured by journal editors to adhere to the proposed Pérez Farfante and Kensley (1997) revisions against their will and as a requirement for publication withdraw their article and submit it to a different journal that has an unbiased and non-coercive editorial policy."
In his Acknowledgements at the end of the review, Flegel says: "I would like to thank Dr. William 'Bill' Dall formerly with the Queensland Museum and CSIRO Australia for the inspiration to write this article and for his valuable comments and encouragement during its preparation."
You can purchase a copy of Flegel's seven-page review at ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com) for $30.
Editors at Aquaculture Say Penaeus vannamei
Aquaculture not only placed Flegel's article at the very beginning of the April 2007 issue of its journal, it preceded it with an editorial in favor of the name change, saying: We wish to draw your attention to a paper by T.W. Flegel entitled "The right to refuse revision in the genus Penaeus". ...We are in agreement with the arguments put forward in T.W. Flegel's paper and have agreed that Aquaculture prefers submissions on penaeid shrimp use the generic epithet Penaeus, preferably qualified at the first mention by Flegel's proposal, namely to follow the rules of zoological nomenclature by placing the subgenus names in brackets between the traditional genus name Penaeus and the relevant species name at first mention [e.g., Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) chinensis]. The editors do not however wish to be "coercive" in this matter and so authors who feel strongly supportive of the revised Pérez Farfante and Kensley (1997) generic names should use Flegel's alternative at the first mention of the genus to indicate that another name is also used [e.g., Fenneropenaeus chinensis (also called Penaeus chinensis)].
Information: Professor Timothy William Flegel, Center of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Centex Shrimp) Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400 Thailand (phone 66-2-201-5876, fax 66-2-354-7344, email sctwf@mahidol.ac.th, webpage http://www.sc.mahidol.ac.th/scbt/academics/research_areas/tf_homepage.htm).
Information: For a report on the scientific classification of farm-raised shrimp Click Here.
Sources: 1. Aquaculture (www.elsevier.com/locate/aqua-online). a. Review Article: The right to refuse revision in the genus Penaeus. T.W. Flegel. Volume 264, Issues 1-4, Page 2, April 6, 2007. b. Editorial: Use of the generic name Penaeus. D.J. Alderman, B.A. Costa-Pierce, E.M. Donaldson, G. Hulata and R.P. Wilson. Volume 264, Issues 1-4, Page 1, April 6, 2007. 2. Penaeoid and Sergestoid Shrimps and Prawns of the World (Keys and Diagnoses for the Families and Genera). Dr. Isabel Pérez Farfante and Dr. Brian Kensley (illustrations by Molly Kelly Ryan). 1997. Information (in France): Delphine Henry, Sales Manager, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Publications Scientifiques Division, 57, rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France (phone 33-01-40-79-37-00, fax 33-01-40-79-38-40, email dhenry@mnhn.fr); and (outside of France) Backhuys Publishers, P.O. Box 321, NL-2300 AH Leiden, The Netherlands (phone 31-71-517-0208, fax 31-71-517-1856, email backhuys@backhuys.com, webpage http://www.backhuys.com).
Country Reports
Australia
$350,000 for Mud Crab Farm
The Australian Government has approved funding of up to $350,000 for the second stage of the Kulaluk Mudcrab Farm (Gwalwa Daraniki Enterprises, Pty., Ltd.) in Nightcliff, a suburb of Darwin in the Northern Territories.
Source: GROWfish (Gippsland Aquaculture Industry Network, Inc., http://www.growfish.com.au/default.asp). GROWfish eNewsletter (subscribehtml@growfish.com.au). $433,000+ for Kulaluk Mudcrab Farm (http://www.growfish.com.au/content.asp?contentid=8818). March 29, 2007.
Bangladesh
Job--Senior Shrimp Hatchery Technician
Location: Cox's Bazar, Sonarpara Hatchery Zone
Company: Shotata Hatchery and Resort, Ltd., Co.
Salary: Depends on qualifications and experience
Requirements: A graduate or postgraduate degree in marine science or zoology and a minimum of five years as an "in charge" shrimp hatchery technician
Information: A&J Techniques (email annuaqua4u@yahoo.com).
Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world's electronic aquaculture resources, http://aquanic.org/index.htm). Jobs Directory (http://www.aquanic.org/Text/job_serv.htm)/In cooperation with the WAS Employment Service. Search jobs (http://aquanic.org/jobs/search.asp). Tiger shrimp hatchery Technician/expert (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2372). Posted March 30, 2007. Closing date May 15, 2007.
India
Farmers' Demands
Shrimp farmers in Surat, a port city in the northwest state of Gujarat, have demanded that the state adopt a policy for the development of over 52,000 hectares of land along the coastal belt in Surat and Bharuch districts for shrimp farming. The Surat Aquaculture Farmers Association (SAFA) presented its demands to the state government in Gandhinagar, urging it to help develop shrimp farming through optimum utilization of natural resources through an easier land allotment policy and infrastructure improvements. Consequently, the government has announced a development package for the coastal belt that emphasizes shrimp farming.
Currently, tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) are being produced in over 1,500 hectares of ponds along Surat's coast. In the last five years, annual exports have risen from almost nothing to $11.5 million. Pradeep Navik, SAFA chairman, said, "Along the coastline in Surat, so far, over 1,200 ponds covering about 1,500 hectares have been developed since 1995. The majority of them are located in Olpad Taluka, where about 10,000 people in 22 villages are gainfully employed."
Shrimp farmers want the government to streamline the permitting process, recognize them as part of the agriculture sector and provide financial support. They also asked for infrastructure improvements like roads, electricity and potable water in coastal areas.
Source: The Times of India. Farmers demand shrimp policy (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Ahmedabad/Farmers_demand_shrimp_policy/articleshow/1804571.cms). Amarendra Jha. March 25, 2007.
India
Andhra Pradesh--Dramatic Drop in Farmed Shrimp Production
The area under shrimp cultivation in the state of Andhra Pradesh has dropped from over 500,000 acres in 1996 to 200,000 acres in 2007, mostly because of disease problems. Consequently, the state Ministry of Earth Sciences is developing a network of Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Cells (OASTCs) to deal with the problems. The OASTC at Andhra University is one of nine such bodies in the country doing research on disease-resistant shrimp.
Currently, according to official sources, Andhra Pradesh exports $800 million worth of shrimp a year from 200,000 acres of ponds with an average output of half a ton per acre. Yet, the shrimp industry in the state is losing huge amounts annually due to diseases.
In the mid-1990s, the state had 250,000 farmers and over a million people depended on the industry for their livelihoods. Now, only 40,000 farmers are cultivating shrimp, mostly in Prakasam, Nellore, Krishna and East and West Godavari.
OASTC research coordinator K. Sujatha said, "We are providing training from screening of brooder shrimp to the packing stage. We invite top scientists to give lectures and hatchery owners to share their experiences. We train the shrimp farmers to help follow the best management practices."
Source: Newindpress.com. Cell in AU to train shrimp farmers (http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEA20070326015652&Page=A&Title=Southern+News+-+Andhra+Pradesh&Topic=0). March 26, 2007.
Indonesia
Best Management Practices
On March 17, 2007, in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia (NACA) established a partnership with aquaculture farmers in Mesjid Utue Village in the Pidie District of Aceh (a special territory on the northern tip of Sumatra). The partnership will assist 70 villagers implement a set of "best management practices" for their shrimp and milkfish farms. NACA and WWF, supported by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in the United States, will provide technical assistance to the villagers to adopt a set of best management practices designed to enhance farm sustainability, reduce shrimp disease risk and improve shrimp quality and profits. The best management practices were developed through a participatory process involving village farmers, NACA and WWF, and their implementation will be supported by two locally recruited and trained Acehnese aquaculture and community mobilization specialists, linked to the small but growing NACA network of specialists and farmers across Asia.
The Asian Development Bank has contracted with NACA to support implementation of the "Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Assistance Project" for rehabilitation and reconstruction of aquaculture and fisheries sectors in Aceh and Nias (an island off the coast of Aceh).
Source: Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific Webpage. Shrimp: NACA Better Management Practices program expands in Indonesia (http://www.enaca.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=918). Simon Wilkinson. March 23, 2007.
Indonesia
Job--Head of Nutrition Department
Boldmann International, Pte., Ltd., (http://www.boldmann.com) represents one of Asia's largest feed companies, a company that has been in business over 35 years and has over 20 fish and shrimp farms. The company needs an aquaculture nutritionist to head its research department and to assist the company's director of aquaculture. The job will require travel throughout Asia. Knowledge of the nutritional requirements of Penaeus vannamei desired. The position is targeted at expatriate postgraduates and Ph.Ds., especially those with fluency in English.
Information: Submit resumes to Maggie Lee (email maggielee@boldmann.com).
Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world's electronic aquaculture resources, http://aquanic.org/index.htm). Jobs Directory (http://www.aquanic.org/Text/job_serv.htm)/In cooperation with the WAS Employment Service. Search jobs (http://aquanic.org/jobs/search.asp). Aquaculture Nutritionist Head Dept (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2339). Posted March 12, 2007. Closing Date April 11, 2007.
Mexico
Tabasco
The state of Tabasco (southeast Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico) has a long coastline that is very sparsely inhabited and is optimal for shrimp farming. The state has assigned 53,000 hectares of coastal land as suitable for shrimp farming. Temperatures and precipitation in Tabasco are suitable for two to three shrimp crops a year.
Information: Fundación Tabasco, Industrial Investments and Promotion Agency, Paseo Tabasco 1203, 302 Col. Lindavista, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico (phone 52-993-3156900, webpage www.fundaciontabasco.org.mx).
Source: World Aquaculture (the quarterly magazine of the World Aquaculture Society, http://www.was.org). Editor-in-Chief, Robert Stickney. Aquaculture potential in Tabasco, Mexico. Patrick Saoud (Professor of aquaculture and aquatic sciences at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, email 08@aub.edu.lb). Volume 38, Number 1, Page 9, March 2007.
Nicaragua
Program for the International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Trade Show
Grupo de Ferias, Congresos y Eventos has created an English/Spanish webpage (http://www.gfce.org/camaron2007) for The International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Trade Show that will be held at the Hotel el Convento in León, Nicaragua, on May, 2–4, 2007. At the webpage, you can register for the Symposium, the trade show and your hotel. The theme for the Symposium is "Successfully Surviving the White Spot Syndrome Virus and Other Pathogens" (Sobreviviendo Exitosamente al Virus de la Mancha Blanca y Otros Patugenos). The program is not limited to diseases and pathogens. It will also cover nutrition, pond fertilization, genetics, growout, biosecurity, microbial ecology, aeration and farm management. The sponsors are Cargill Animal Nutrition and Farallon Aquaculture, S.A. Here's the program as of March 30, 2007:
Miercoles 2 de Mayo, 2007
08:30 a.m.--Registro y Entrega de Credenciales
18:30-19:00--Inauguración
19:00-20:00--Conferencia Magistral, Comercialización y Mercados, Nicolás Rodríguez, Panamá
20:00--Cocktail de Bienvenida
Jueves 3 de Mayo, 2007
08:00-09:00--Nutrición, Presentatión by Cargill Animal Nutrition, Honduras
09:00-10:00--Impacto Económico de la Fertilización en Granjas Camaroneras, Carlos Tay, Panamá
10:00-10:30--Receso Café
10:30-11:30--Tratamiento Bioenzimatico del Ecosistema Acuatico de Producción de Camarón, Gino Pinargote, Ecuador
11:30-12:30--Nueva Tecnología para la Cosecha del Camarón, Dorian Xerri, USA
12:30-14:00--Almuerzo
14:00-15:00--Efecto de un Bloqueador Viral en la Sobrevivencia de Camarones Vannamei Infectados con WSV, Jorge Cuellar-Angel, Panamá
15:00-16:00--Sistema de Aereación de Alta Eficiencia, Cultivo de Camarón, Armando Piccininni, Italia
16:00-16:30--Receso Café
16:30-17:30--Evolución en Métodos de Producción y Sus Resultados Recientes en Cultivo de Camarón en Asia, Chalor Limsuwan, Tailandia
Viernes 4 de Mayo, 2007
08:00-09:00--Detección y Control de Productos Médicos Veterinarios en el Camarón, Birmania Martínez, Nicaragua
09:00-10:00--Resultados de Producción con Megalarva en Fincas Camaroneras de Centro América, Ricardo Martanz, Panamá
10:00-10:30--Receso Café
10:30-11:30--Uso de los Probioticos y Bokashi en el Cultivo de Camarones, Manuel Fukushima, Perú
11:30-12:30--Tecnologia de Pre Criaderos de Camarón, José Torres, Ecuador
12:30-14:00--Almuerzo
14:00-15:00--Desarrollo Reciente del Uso de Proteina Animal en Alimentos de Especies Acuáticas, Albert Tacon, Hawaii
15:00-16:00--Importancia de la Diversidad Genética en los Sistemas de Reproducción de Camarones, Roger Doyle, Canadá
16:00-16:30--Receso Café
16:30-17:30--Estado Actual Sanitario y Patologico del Cultivo de Camaron en Asia con Enfasis en Tailandia, Chalor Limsuwan, Tailandia
17:30-18:30--Estado Actual de las Enfermedades del Camarón en América Latina, Donald Lightner, USA
18:30-19:00--Conferencia de Clausura
20:00--Fiesta de Clausura, Discoteca son Señor
Sabado 5 De Mayo, 2007
09:00-17:00--Las Nuevas y Emergentes Enfermedades del Camarón Penaeus Vannamei: Biología y Métodos para los Diagnósticos, Donald Lightner, USA
Information: Manuel Alzamora, conference manager, Grupo de Ferias, Congresos y Eventos, S.A (phone 507-236-7845, fax 507-236-6652, email camaron@gfce.org, webpage gfce.org/camaron2007).
Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Manuel Alzamora on March 30, 2007.
Philippines
CPF Abhors a Vacuum
Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF) has announced a one million dollar investment in a shrimp hatchery on the island of Cebu in the Visayan Islands.
Source: The Fish Site.com. CPF Jumps on Opportunity in Philippines (http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/3963/cpf-jumps-on-opportunity-in-philippines). March 29, 2007.
Philippines
Expansion of Shrimp Exports
Malcolm Sarmiento, executive director of The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, foresees an immediate doubling of Philippine shrimp exports because of the introduction of the western white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). He said: "We can double our exports because of vannamei. Vannamei is really the dominant species of Thailand and China for export to Europe and the USA. We have processing plants accredited by the EU (European Union)."
The Philippines exported a total of 18,101 metric tons of shrimp in 2005, valued at $93,509 million. Japan, Korea and the USA, in that order, were the country's biggest customers. Boom Marine of Cagayan de Oro, HGR of Bulacan and Anjo Farms of Region 1 are registered to export shrimp to Europe.
Source: Seafood Today. BFAR forecasts expansion of prawn exports to European, US markets (http://www.seafood-today.com/noticia.php?art_clave=1994). March 22, 2007.
Thailand
Burapha University
Burapha University in Khon Kaen Province (east-central Thailand) has opened the Thai-Chinese Marine Resources Research and Development Center in collaboration with a marine research institute in China. The Center will focus on the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Professor Suchart Upatham, the Dean of Burapha University, said tiger shrimp farmers are in debt and can no longer made money from farming tiger shrimp. We going to look for ways to make tiger shrimp farming profitable again.
Source: ThaisNews.com. Burapha University launches Marine Resources Research and Development Center (http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=209974). March 26, 2007.
United States
Hawaii--Taura Virus Hits Shrimp Farm Again
Hawaii's Department of Agriculture has ordered a quarantine of the Ming Dynasty Fish and Shrimp Company, a shrimp farm on the north coast of Oahu, after laboratory tests revealed that six of 12 samples tested positive for the Taura virus. All six shrimp were from the same concrete broodstock pond; other broodstock tested negative.
On March 30, 2007, state veterinarian James Foppoli issued an order that no shrimp be moved to or from the farm.
The shrimp farm has not sold shrimp in more than a year, said Nicolas Lynn, co-owner of Ming Dynasty. When the Taura virus hit the farm nearly two years ago, "I had to kill all the shrimp," Lynn said. "We closed down all the ponds and let them dry out, also the hatchery. We cleaned them for three months and got new breeding stock from Oceanic Institute." Lynn said the farm sold only to wholesalers on Oahu and did not export to other islands or elsewhere. Ming Dynasty participates in the state Aquaculture Development Program, which certifies farms as pathogen-free. The test samples, taken on March 16, 2007, were analyzed at the University of Arizona's Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory.
Source: Star Bulletin. Disease quarantines Kahuku farm's shrimp (http://starbulletin.com/2007/04/03/news/story10.html). Mary Adamski (madamski@starbulletin.com). April 3, 2007.
United States
Texas--Texas A&M--Molasses as a Carbon Source
Two studies were conducted using the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei to evaluate the effect of carbon supplementation on selected water quality indicators and shrimp performance in the nursery and the growout phases using limited water discharge with molasses as a carbon addition.
A preliminary nursery study was conducted in four 40 m3 greenhouse-enclosed raceways stocked with 12-day-old postlarvae at a density of 1,800 m3 and were fed 45% crude protein feed. Molasses (24% carbon) was used for carbon supplementation to provide 6 grams of carbon for each 19 grams of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) in the water and started 32 days after stocking, shortly after the TAN level had risen to over 3 milligrams per liter. The data suggest that molasses addition resulted in rapid reduction of TAN and nitrite nitrogen and could be used to prevent buildup of these compounds.
The growout study was carried out using twenty 7.8 m3 tanks stocked with juvenile shrimp at a density of 81 m3. Shrimp were fed a commercial diet (30% crude protein, Rangen, Inc., Buhl, Idaho, USA). Feed rations were determined based on assumed growth of one a gram week, a feed conversion ratio of 1.5 and a weekly mortality rate of 0.5%. Molasses additions, at five levels, were started 26 days post stocking to provide 0%, 50%, 100% and 150% of the theoretical carbon level needed for bacteria to assimilate the TAN from the feed. The fifth treatment was based on the actual level of TAN in the tanks and was adjusted daily on an as needed basis. The data suggest that under the condition of this study, addition of molasses did not result in a significant effect on water quality or on shrimp performance.
The present work was aimed only at the effect of molasses addition to low protein diets (30%). Molasses was added only as means to reduce TAN and nitrite nitrogen and not as feed replacement. Based on final growth indicators additional molasses had no effect on the shrimp under the condition of this study.
This study demonstrated that molasses could be used as a tool to prevent increases in TAN and nitrite during the nursery and growout phases of the Pacific white shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, under limited water discharge. There was no significant difference due to molasses addition on shrimp performance in the nursery phase. Similarly, no significant effect was observed for water quality or shrimp performance in the growout phase when the shrimp were fed a low protein diet under limited water discharge when culture water was supplemented with various levels of molasses.
Source: Aquaculture Engineering. Use of molasses as carbon source in limited discharge nursery and growout systems for Litopenaeus vannamei. Tzachi M. Samocha (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Shrimp Mariculture Research Facility, 4301 Waldron Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 USA), Susmita Patnaik, Mike Speed, Abdul-Mehdi Au, Josh M. Burger, Rodrigo V. Almeida, Zarrein Ayub, Margasanto Harisanto, Ami Horowitz and David L. Brock, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 184, March 2007.
United States
Virginia--Job--Intensive Shrimp Facility Production Manager
Blue Ridge Aquaculture in Martinsville, Virginia, seeks a facilities/production manager for an indoor, recirculating marine shrimp production facility. The 30,000 square foot facility is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by late April 2007. It contains nine growout tanks (14' x 60' each), a hatchery and a nutritional study area consisting of fifteen round tanks (7' diameter, 5,500 gallons) and three sequencing batch reactors. It is a research facility intended to provide proof of the concept prior to scaling up for commercial production. The facilities manager will be responsible for overseeing operations of the entire facility including the hatchery, growout and nutrition studies area. The nutrition study area in the new facility will be used to optimize utilization of the tilapia waste as a shrimp feed. Because this is a start-up, the manager will be in a position to help pick the staff. Blue Ridge Aquaculture is actively engaged in cooperative research with Virginia Tech. The successful candidate will work closely with research scientists from Virginia Tech and will have the opportunity to draw on their expertise.
Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in aquaculture or related field and a minimum of 5 years experience working with marine shrimp, preferably in an intensive production system.
Salary: Competitive salary (based on experience), a generous benefits package and company profit sharing.
Information: William Martin, President, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, P.O. Drawer 1152, Martinsville, VA 24114 USA (phone 276-632-9440, fax 276-632-9191, email wmartin@blueridgeaquaculture.com). Email applications are welcome and encouraged.
Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world's electronic aquaculture resources, http://aquanic.org/index.htm). Jobs Directory (http://www.aquanic.org/Text/job_serv.htm)/In cooperation with the WAS Employment Service. Search jobs (http://aquanic.org/jobs/search.asp). Intensive Shrimp Facility Production Manager (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2350). Posted March 16, 2007. Closing Date April 15, 2007.
Vietnam
Problems
Ho Chi Minh City...The Mekong River Delta now boasts 560,000 hectares of shrimp farms that produce 293,000 tons of shrimp a year. Over the last six years, more than 300,000 hectares of rice fields in the Delta have been converted into shrimp farms.
Vo Quang Huy, a shrimp farmer in Soc Trang Province, said he earned $18,000 in profits from harvesting 360 tons of shrimp from his 60 hectares in the Delta. He attributes his success to alliances with fellow farmers made through a 100-member association, founded to act as a forum in which farmers assist one another in selecting breeds, disseminating advanced methods and converting low yielding rice fields into shrimp farms. Soc Trang provincial authorities hope to have 45,000 hectares of shrimp ponds by 2010, up from 33,000 hectares in 2000.
In 2006, Ca Mau Province, the Delta's biggest producer of farmed shrimp, raised more than 100,000 tons of shrimp in 247,000 hectares of ponds. The crop was worth more than $580 million.
Source: Vietnam News Service. Mekong shrimp farms make gains but need strategic plan: ministry (http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01AGR230307). March 23, 2007.
