Free News April 13, 2007

Tarpon Springs, Florida, USA...For the better part of three decades, John Williams made a good living netting shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. These days, he is landing a different catch: cash payments from foreign rivals.

Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), cofounded the group in 2002 to help American shrimp fishermen fight competition posed by farm-raised shrimp from Asia and Latin America. SSA petitioned the USA government to slap tariffs on shrimp imports from six countries at the end of 2003, arguing they were dumping shrimp in the USA at unfairly low prices.

In 2006, hundreds of shrimpers and processors divvied up $100 million under the Byrd law, which directs tariff payments to the parties that filed the case, the fishermen and processors. The Byrd law was repealed recently, ending future payments.

But after winning the case, SSA wanted even more. With the help of Dewey Ballantine LLP, its New York law firm, the shrimpers filed a special appeal with the USA government that threatened exporters with even higher tariffs. The action spooked more than a 100 foreign shrimp suppliers into paying millions of dollars to SSA in return for its promise to drop the action.

SSA is using the money to help USA shrimp fishermen recover from a flood of imports. The payouts have funded lawyers to spearhead trade actions and pay lobbyists to rally government support for the industry, among other priorities. "We now have a voice we never had before," Williams says.

The practice has sparked a fight over the SSA's winnings, as well as concern that USA shrimpers unjustly exploited laws designed to protect domestic businesses from unfair trading practices.

"We know it's unfair, but have to play the game," said Vuong Quang Khanh, head of international sales for Can Tho Import Export Seafood Joint Stock Co., a Vietnamese shrimp exporter that says it paid $68,000 to SSA.

Dan Ikenson of the Cato Institute, a free-market think tank, says, "There's something unseemly about the domestic industry extorting large sums of money from foreign shrimp producers."

Under USA law, any party in a dumping case can seek a Commerce Department review of tariffs at the annual anniversary of the imposition of the tariffs.

In February 2006, the first anniversary of the shrimp tariffs, the SSA's lawyers filed a sweeping review request, citing some 800 foreign producers and processors. The scope caught many foreign producers off guard. "I've never seen anything done on this scale, that's for sure," said Ken Pierce, a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP, which represents shrimp producers in Thailand and Vietnam.

That request, along with another that the Commerce Department ultimately rejected, added to the uncertainty facing foreign exporters. Rather than fight, many quickly offered to settle with the SSA.

Among the first was Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF), a Thai agribusiness that, in 2004, exported $900 million in shrimp to the USA.

Bradford Ward of Dewey Ballantine says SSA was not interested in money only. The group wanted foreign producers to stop using antibiotics in their shrimp ponds, and it wanted to prevent shrimp from being shipped to the USA through third countries or with inaccurate country of origin labels, in an effort to skirt the USA tariffs. Ward says lawyers for the overseas producers brought up the idea of cash settlements first. "They approached us and, in essence, said, 'What would it cost?'" said Ward.

In May 2006, CPF agreed to pay a cash settlement to SSA in return for its withdrawal of the company from the tariff review-request list. CPF also agreed to address food-safety and transshipment concerns. CPF wasn't the first firm to settle, but the compromise by such a major player set the stage for others to follow.

Can Tho Import Export, or CASEAMEX, had already seen profit margins shrink on its exports to the USA after getting hit with a 4.57% tariff in 2005. To fend off further tariffs, it agreed to pay the SSA the equivalent of 1.5% of its USA shrimp sales in 2006. That payout is expected to rise to 3% in the next three years.

The exporters admitted no wrongdoing, but said they settled with SSA to eliminate market uncertainties. "It's very risky doing business in a place where you don't know what the price and the value of the tariff will be," said Nguyen Hoang Phuong, a director at Vietnam's Ut Xi Aquatic Products Processing Corp. He said his company paid SSA because it needed to know how to price USA-bound shrimp.

Eventually, Williams's group reached settlements involving cash payments with 104 foreign shrimp companies. Unlike the $100 million in Byrd money, which was divided among individual shrimp producers and processors, the settlement payments went to SSA, which declined to reveal the amounts. The exporters have also been silent on the amounts they had to pay.

Stephen Claeys, Commerce's deputy assistant secretary for antidumping, said the department was not party to those settlements. "That was purely an agreement between private parties," he said. That hasn't stopped free-trade advocates from decrying the deals as a tax on the shrimp-eating public. Wally Stevens, head of the American Seafood Distributors Association, which represents USA importers, said the payments amount to "extortion."

Williams bristles at the criticism, saying, "We never approached anyone."

Williams says SSA has used some of the money to pay its legal bill at Dewey Ballantine. The firm charged for its services by the hour, and the bill has reached more than $3 million, sources said, and continues to climb. SSA is also paying lobbyists on Capitol Hill, who last year pushed for government funding to assist the industry. Some money is being used to raise consumer awareness of USA-caught shrimp. The money is also helping to pay for SSA's office rental and has allowed the group to lower annual membership dues to $25 from $200.

In February 2007, on the tariff's second anniversary, SSA asked the government to conduct another broad tariff review. But this time, the Louisiana Shrimp Association, which represents shrimpers and processors, wanted a piece of the action and filed its own review request. SSA didn't "give us a dime" of the last settlement with foreign producers, complains fisherman A.J. Fabre, who heads Barataria, a Louisiana association.

Meanwhile, the state of Louisiana, which provided early funding to SSA, made inquiries about SSA's finances and whether the state should receive a share of the money. Williams says no money has been paid to Louisiana, and that SSA has explained its handling of the money to state officials. A spokeswoman for the Louisiana attorney general says the state's inquiry continues.

Source: Truth About Trade Technology. News Clippings/Shrimpers Haul Cash From Lower-Cost Rivals (http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=7354). Greg Hitt. April 2, 2007. Original Source: The Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2007.

Whitetail--Not To Be Confused with Whitespot
Diagnosing IMNV

The major clinical sign of IMNV (infectious myonecrosis virus, a double-stranded RNA totivirus) is the appearance of white, opaque areas in the tail muscle. As the disease progresses, shrimp become lethargic and 40-60 percent may die. Brazilian shrimp farmers lost an estimated $20 million to IMNV in 2003.

Researchers from the University of Arizona have published a paper that says: Diagnosis of IMNV infection has proven problematic because current methods rely on clinical and histological examinations. Diagnosis based on clinical signs is not reliable, as a number of factors, including hypoxia, crowding, or sudden changes in temperature or salinity can cause similar symptoms. Diagnosis by histological examination is not specific or sensitive.

In the paper, the researchers report the development of a new molecular diagnostic method based on in situ hybridization (ISH, routinely used for the diagnosis of other shrimp viruses) that is both highly specific and sensitive. They developed the method, tested its specificity and then employed it in laboratory bioassays.

The researchers used the method to test the susceptibility of three species of penaeid shrimp to IMNV in laboratory bioassays. Seven animals (mean weight 3 grams) of each species (Penaeus monodon, P. vannamei and P. stylirostris) were injected with 0.1 ml of purified IMNV inoculum from infected shrimp. Shrimp were then maintained in three aquaria on a pelleted ration for 28 days.

The major clinical sign of infection, the appearance of whitish lesions in the tail muscle, was seen first in the vannamei group, in which all of the injected shrimp had obvious lesions after six days. In the stylirostris group, the lesions developed slowly, with only three animals showing signs of infection after seven days. All of the shrimp had lesions after 13 days. No clinical signs of infection were observed in any of the individuals of the monodon group, but lesions could have been obscured by monodon's highly pigmented exoskeleton. On the 14th day after injection, one individual from each species was sacrificed for ISH analysis. They all tested positive for IMNV. In the vannamei group, there were two mortalities (days 13 and 21); no mortalities occurred in either the stylirostris or monodon groups during the bioassay period.

Histological analysis showed that the viral infection was evident only in the skeletal muscle and lymphoid organ. Samples of vannamei (from Belize) and monodon (from Australia) exhibiting muscle necrosis suspected to be caused by IMNV infection were found to be ISH negative. Thus, without the availability of the ISH test, diagnosis based on gross signs or histology could be erroneous.

Vannamei, the natural host of IMNV, appears to be most susceptible based on the onset of clinical signs and degree of mortality. IMNV is not particularly virulent compared to other shrimp viruses such as TSV (Taura), YHV (Yellowhead) and WSSV (whitespot). In the bioassay described here, no mortalities occurred until 13 days after exposure to IMNV. In similar bioassays with TSV, YHV and WSSV, significant mortality usually occurs within 1-3 days. The relatively long delay in mortalities from IMNV infections is possibly because skeletal muscle, the primary target tissue of IMNV infection, can withstand more damage than the other tissues before survival is threatened. Losses from IMNV infection, however, can be significant; over 40 percent mortality often occurs--late in the production cycle. In addition, reduction in market value of the survivors, which have necrotic tail muscles, adds to the economic loss.

Source: World Aquaculture (the quarterly magazine of the World Aquaculture Society, http://www.was.org). Editor-in-Chief, Robert Stickney. In situ hybridization demonstrates that Litopenaeus vannamei, L. stylirostris, and Penaeus monodon are susceptible to Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV). Kathy F.J. Tang, Carlos R. Pantoja, Rita M. Redman and Donald V. Lightner (Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA, fax 520-621-4899, email fengjyu@.arizona.edu). Volume 38, Number 1, Page 18, March 2007.

Country Reports

Bangladesh
Lose Weight and Lower Your Cholesterol, Eat Shrimp Shells

Chitosan, derived from shrimp shells, might be useful in the fight against obesity and high cholesterol. In the journal Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology (Volume 34, Number 3, Page 170, March 2007) lead author Dr. Shahdat Hossain from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Jahangirnagar University tested the effect of chitosan on the body weight, plasma lipid profile and fatty acid composition of rats. The results from the study show that chitosan reduced weight gain and blood cholesterol levels in the rats. More significantly, the researchers found that when taken as a dietary supplement, chitosan increased the ratio of "good" to "bad" cholesterol.

Dr. Hossain cautioned, "Adequate antioxidants should be added to chitosan-enriched supplements in order to minimize the degree of oxidative stress to the liver. Further studies are certainly needed to clarify these aspects of chitosan."

Source: Medical News Today. Breakthrough Research Shows That Consuming Shrimp Shell Could Lower Cholesterol Levels (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=66590). March 29, 2007.

India
Job--Shrimp Farm Expert

We need a shrimp farming expert with a master's degree in mariculture.

Information: Apuchand (phone +919848084123, email apuchand@gmail.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). Shrimp Farm Expert (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2384). Posted April 5, 2007. Closing date June 30, 2007.

India
Disease Problems

Penaeus monodon hatcheries face major production problems that may be caused by toxic dinoflagellate blooms and chloride [?]. What is the best way to deal with this problem?

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] treating toxic loads in seawater reg.! From: DAMS (dshrinivaas@yahoo.com). April 3, 2007.

India
Breeding Disease-Free Shrimp

Because of heavy losses to the whitespot virus, the Union Ministry of Commerce (UMC) has set up a $4 million, disease-free broodstock facility in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, which are owned by India off the southwest coast of Thailand. UMC's Jairam Ramesh said disease-free broodstock would be ready by 2009. All shrimp hatcheries in the country will receive disease-free shrimp broodstock, and the old broodstock will be destroyed.

Andhra Pradesh, the state with the largest shrimp farming industry, is losing over $500 million a year to whitespot.

Source: Newindpress.com. Southern News/Andhra Pradesh/Efforts to breed disease-free shrimp in lab (http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEU20070401024634&Page=A&Title=Southern+News+-+Andhra+Pradesh&Topic=0). April 1, 2007.

Korea
Bio-Floc Session

The Aquaculture Engineering Society plans to organize a bio-floc session at the World Aquaculture Society Meeting scheduled for Busan, Korea, in May 2008. The central topic will be research on and utilization of bio-flocs in Asia.

Information on Conference: John Cooksey, World Aquaculture Conference Management, 2423 Fallbrook Place, Escondido, CA 92027 USA (phone 760-432-4270, fax 760-432-4275, email worldaqua@aol.com, webpage www.was.org).

Information on the Bio-Floc Session: Yoram Avnimelech (Professor, Emeritus), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000 Israel (phone 972-(0)3-752-2406, fax 972-(0)3-613-1669, email agyoram@tx.technion.ac.il).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from Yoram Avnimelech on March 31, 2007.

Mariana Islands
Saipan--Broodstock

The Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Education and Extension Service in Saipan, the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands in the western Pacific Ocean (15°10'51"N, 145°45'21"E) that belongs to the USA, encourages shrimp broodstock farming. Michael Ogo, an aquaculture consultant with the extension services, says shrimp broodstock farming could be a moneymaking venture in Saipan. Ogo said farmers could sell broodstock in Asia for at least $20 per animal. He pointed out that Saipan is much closer to the Asian market than the broodstock producers in Hawaii and that because of the Marianas' affiliation with the USA it has access to broodstock from the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii.

Source: Saipan Tribune. There's money in shrimp (http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=67158). Marconi Calindas. April 5, 2006.

Mariana Islands
For Sale--SPF Vannamei

We produce specific pathogen free (SPF) Penaeus vannamei. We're looking for buyers or partner farms.

Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world's electronic aquaculture resources, http://aquanic.org/index.htm). Shrimp Discussion Group (http://www.aquanic.org/discuss/shrimp.htm). SPF-Penaeus vannamei Species Shrimp (http://www.aquanic.org/discuss/_shrimp/00001190.htm). From: Rio Lan (joshi51@hotmail.com). April 1, 2007.

Nicaragua
Shrimp Culture Symposium--Transportation/Exhibitors/Workshop

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 Patágenos). 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.

Transportation: Round trip transportation from Managua to León will be provided for all attendees.

Exhibitors:

Camaronera de Nicaragua
Muyang Group
Creel Pump
Codemet Nicaragua
Sea Technology Industrias de Natá
Magic Valley Heli-Arc
Insumos Disagro para la Industria
Catvis BV
Sahlman Seafoods Nicaragua
Aeration Industries International
Farallon Aquaculture
Aquatic Ecosystems
Tip Top Industrial
Expalsa
Incal
Bio-Bac
Alimentsa
Molinos Champion
Area, Inc.
Panoráma Acuícola

Workshop (a separate event requiring a separate registration and fee): Saturday, May 5, 2007, Dr. Donald Lightner on shrimp diseases.

Reservations and 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: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] Nicaraguan Symposium, and Subject: [shrimp] Nicaragua Symposium - Advance. From: Manuel Alzamora (camaroncito032003@yahoo.com). April 7, 2007.

Oman
Job--Shrimp Farm Manager

We are in the first phase of development on an integrated shrimp farm. We need a shrimp farm manager with at least five years of experience and a good background in marine biology.

Information Benoit Hillion, Bentoot Seafood Products Company (bentout@omantel.net.om).

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). Shrimp Farm Manager (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2382). Posted April 4, 2007. Closing date September 29, 2007.

Thailand
Genetic Diversity of Penaeus monodon

In this study, researchers used microsatellite DNA techniques to determine the genetic variability of wild and cultured black tiger shrimp (P. monodon) in Thailand. In wild populations from the Gulf of Thailand, south Thailand and south Myanmar, high genetic variability was detected.

Samples of wild populations were collected from the Gulf of Thailand in the vicinity of Bangkok (N = 42), the coast of the Andaman Sea in southwest Thailand (N = 17) and south Myanmar (N = 17), areas that produce most of Thailand's broodstock. Samples were also taken from four shrimp facilities (A, B, C and D) in the Bangkok area (N = 44 to 50). Facility A is an aquaculture research institution, and the others are commercial farms.

Wild populations collected from the Gulf of Thailand showed high genetic variability. Although the sizes of the samples from southwest Thailand and Myanmar were small, heterozygosities, indicating genetic diversity, were relatively high. Among the samples from the facilities, A showed the highest average number of alleles, and C the lowest. Heterozygosities, however, were high at every farm. According to the farm management, a single parental line supplied from shrimp breeders was used to start cultures in ponds at farms B, C and D. The results of this study, however, appeared to indicate multiple parental lines in farms B and D, but not in farm C.

The genes of wild black tiger shrimp do not exhibit characteristics typical of endangered or inbred species.

Intriguingly, multiple parental lines were used at two farms (B and D), apparently inadvertently. Such unintentional variation may be one of the factors causing productivity fluctuations in black tiger shrimp farming.

Source: Aquaculture Science (Japanese Society for Aquaculture Research, formerly Suisanzoshoku). Short Paper/Genetic Variability of Wild and Cultured Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in Thailand. Motohiro Takagi (Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan, email takagi@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp), Tomo Ishimaru, Isao Tsumui, Prapansak Srisapoome and Kaoru Hamano. Volume 55, Number 1, Page 131, 2007.

United States
Georgia--Shrimp Outsells All Fish During Lent

On April 5, 2007, SeaPak Shrimp Company, a shrimp processor, reported that shrimp has taken the lead this Lenten season as the preferred frozen seafood purchased at retail. During Lent, SeaPak reported sales of all frozen fish at $76.6 million and sales of frozen shrimp at $79.1 million.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). Retail frozen shrimp outsold fish during Lent according to SeaPak. Ken Coons. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). April 5, 2007.

United States
Hawaii--Ming Dynasty Shrimp and Fish Company

During the last week of March 2007, a state quarantine order was issued on Ming Dynasty Shrimp and Fish Company, a shrimp farm on the north coast of Oahu. After cleanup and additional testing, the state will probably lift the quarantine. Follow-up tests at the farm were negative for the Taura syndrome virus (TSV). The negative test results issued by the Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory at the University of Arizona-Tucson were from shrimp that were being raised in a second pond and the hatchery. On April 5, 2007, Agriculture Department officials said the order preventing Ming Dynasty from moving shrimp on or off the property without a permit would remain in effect until the cleanup and additional testing have been completed.

Initial surveillance tests conducted in mid-March at the farm were positive for TSV, but appeared to be confined to one pond. Shrimp in that pond were harvested.

Source: The Honolulu Advertiser. Kahuku shrimp farm follow-up tests negative for virus (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Apr/05/br/br4096573821.html). Rod Ohira. April 5, 2007.

United States
Maine--Live Lobster Prices Hit Historic Highs

Prices of live American lobster are so high right now that even industry veterans are taken aback. "The last time I've seen prices close to this high was 14 years ago," says John Norton, president of Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland, Maine.

On April 3, 2007, in New England, prices reached $13 a pound for 1 and 1¼-pound lobsters, $13.75 for 1½-pound lobsters and a whopping $15 for 2 and 2½-pound lobsters, according to Urner Barry Publications of Toms River, New Jersey. A year ago, lobsters ranged between $6 and $7 a pound.

Lobster prices, which usually peak at this time of year, have skyrocketed because USA and Canadian lobstermen are harvesting fewer lobsters. Maine lobstermen are landing only 30 to 50 pounds per trip, says Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association. "Supply is just so incredibly low," she says, "and so fewer lobstermen are fishing this time of year...."

The ocean is colder than usual, too cold for lobster to feed, says Norton. Lobster holding facilities throughout New England and the Canadian Maritimes are nearly empty, he adds. Plus, Red Lobster is running its annual Lobsterfest promotion and a few large lobster suppliers had commitments to Red Lobster that they had to fill, leaving little product for the spot market, says Norton, adding that "98 percent of the marketplace is shut down and selling other products like king crab and snow crab." Norton expects lobster prices to plummet in the coming days as the lobster catch increases. "The market always overcorrects itself," he explains. "Buyers will stand back and wait until [prices] bottom out. Then, it'll take a while to get that 98 percent of the marketplace back [to buying] lobster again."

Source: Seafood Currents (a free, online newsletter from Seafood Business (www.seafoodbusiness.com). Live lobster prices hit historic highs (http://divcom-seafood.informz.net/admin31/content/template.asp?sid=2151&ptid=128&brandid=3138&uid=752859429&mi=117837). April 4, 2007.

United States
Washington, DC--FDA-Zapping Shrimp

In August 2005, the Food and Drug Administration legalized the irradiation of oysters, clams and mussels. Still pending before FDA are industry requests to irradiated shrimp, crabs and lobsters.

Irradiation works by exposing foods to ionizing radiation that kills insects, molds and bacteria. The technology, which can kill up to 99 per cent of pathogens, is seen by the industry as a means of ensuring food safety. The USA National Center for Policy Analysis estimates that if half the food at greatest risk consumed in the US were to be irradiated, food-borne illnesses would decline by 900,000 cases annually and deaths by 352. The center estimates that irradiation would add about five cents a pound to the cost of treating meat and poultry products.

Source: Newsfood.com. FDA proposes to relax labeling for irradiated foods (http://www.newsfood.com/International/2007/04_Aprile/05/FDA_labeling_irradiated_foods.asp). Lorraine Heller. April 5, 2007.