Free News February 16, 2007

In Martinsville, Virginia, USA, Blue Ridge Aquaculture is constructing a $2.8 million facility to study closed-cycle shrimp farming. When completed, researchers from Virginia Tech, backed by the USA Department of Agriculture, will use the facility to study closed-cycle shrimp farming technology, management practices, feeds, economics and marketing.

Blue Ridge Aquaculture currently raises nearly four million pounds of tilapia a year in a 100,000-square-foot, closed-cycle system. Every week, an estimated 75,000 pounds of live tilapia are shipped from the facility to live markets in New York, Boston, Toronto (Canada) and other locations, making Blue Ridge the world's largest indoor tilapia farm.

You can view a slide show of Blue Ridge's operations at its website (http://www.blueridgeaquaculture.com) and two very short, January 2007 videos of the construction of the new shrimp research facility at You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS-HW76JeM4&feature=PlayList&p=84D89F6370174AFD&index=2) and (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqRhcavL_vY&feature=PlayList&p=84D89F6370174AFD&index=3).

On June 6, 2006, I interviewed Peter Van Wyk, an aquaculture specialist at the Southwest Virginia Aquaculture Research and Extension Center, in Saltville, Virginia, USA. We chatted about the Center's plans for shrimp farming and about Blue Ridge's shrimp farming project. The Southwest Virginia Aquaculture Research and Extension Center is dedicated to supporting sustainable recirculating aquaculture and high-value alternative horticulture opportunities in Southwest Virginia.

Shrimp News: Is anyone in your part of the state looking at shrimp farming?

Peter Van Wyk: Yes, we're in the planning stages for a project with Blue Ridge Aquaculture owned by Bill Martin of Martinsville, Virginia. Marine shrimp was selected as a second crop species by Blue Ridge because of the growing consumer demand, high market value and the potential for utilizing fish wastes from its tilapia operation as a feed supplement for the shrimp. The facility will include fifteen 500-gallon tanks for conducting feed studies to test the concept of utilizing fish wastes to supplement the shrimp diets. We will compare untreated fish wastes as a feed supplement with fish wastes predigested by heterotrophic bacteria in an aerobic bioreactor. In addition we will have nine 25,000-gallon, commercial-scale production systems in which we will be looking at various strategies, such as using artificial substrates for boosting system carrying capacities.

Virginia Tech has assembled a multi-disciplinary team to work on this project. Dr. Greg Boardman, an expert in wastewater engineering, and Dave Kuhn, a doctoral candidate in Environmental Engineering are designing the bioreactor and will be conducting studies on utilizing fish wastes as a feed supplement. Other members of the team include Dr. Lori Marsh, a biological systems engineer, Dr. George Flick, a seafood processing expert, and Dr. Steve Smith, an aquatic animal health specialist. Dr. Rolland Laramore will formulate custom shrimp diets for the project, and Dr. Craig Browdy will assist us on a consulting basis.

Shrimp News: What are your responsibilities on the project?

Peter Van Wyk: I have three basic responsibilities. First of all, I am designing the feed study and the shrimp production systems. As the shrimp expert on the team, I am developing all of the shrimp production management protocols and the experimental designs for the studies in the commercial prototype tanks. I also have USDA funding to develop and operate a research-scale recirculating shrimp hatchery. One of the bottlenecks for the development of shrimp farming in the USA is the lack of a consistent supply of SPF seedstock. There are few sites where coastal hatcheries can be built, so it is important that we learn how to operate inland hatcheries using recirculating technology.

Preliminary Research: Can rich effluent from an intensive tilapia farm be used to feed shrimp? In this study, the untreated, settled solids from a closed-cycle tilapia farm were used to generate microbial flocs that were then fed to shrimp.

The study was conducted over a 40-day period with four treatments:

•         Diet One (100% shrimp feed)
•         Diet Two (50% shrimp feed, 50% microbial flocs)
•         Diet Three (50% shrimp feed, 50% untreated solids)
•         Diet Four (50% shrimp feed, half the amount in Diet One)

In terms of final mass, Diet One out-performed all other diets, and Diet Two was significantly better than Diet Four. Shrimp fed Diet Four were 53% smaller than those fed Diet One. This was expected because shrimp fed Diet One received twice the amount of feed and protein.

The microbial flocs used in Diet Two contributed significantly to growth, whereas the untreated solids used in Diet Three did not. Shrimp fed Diets Two and Three were, respectively, 44% and 25% larger than those fed Diet Four. With respect to survival, Diets Two and Four were better than Diet One. However, Diet Three survival rates were not statistically different from any of the other feeding regimes.

This study demonstrated that the microbial flocs generated in bioreactors using tilapia effluent contributed significantly to shrimp growth.

Information: Peter Van Wyk, Aquaculture Specialist, SW Virginia Aquaculture Research and Extension Center, 424 West Main Street, Saltville, VA 24370 USA (phone 276-496-4999, fax 276-496-4974, email pvanwyk@vt.edu, webpage http://arecs.vaes.vt.edu/arec.cfm?webname=saltville).

Information: Greg Boardman, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 417 Durham Hall (0246), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (phone 540-231-1376, fax 540-231-7916, email gboard@vt.edu).

Information: Bill Martin, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, P.O. Drawer 1152, Martinsville, VA 24114 USA (phone 276-632-9440, email blkz3@aol.com, webpage http://www.blueridgeaquaculture.com).

Sources: 1. Blue Ridge Aquaculture Webpage (http://www.blueridgeaquaculture.com/). February 9, 2007. 2. Peter Van Wyk, telephone interview by Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International. June 6, 2006. 3. Email from Peter Van Wyk on July 11, 2006. 4. The Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture (July 21-23, 2006, Roanoke, Virginia, USA). Abstract: The Future of Aquaculture and Its Effect on US Markets. Bill Martin (Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Martinsville, Virginia, email blkz3@aol.com). 5. The Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture (July 21-23, 2006, Roanoke, Virginia USA). Use of Tilapia Effluent a Nutritional Source for the Pacific White Legged Shrimp in Recirculating Systems. David D. Kuhn (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA, email davekuhn@vt.edu); Gregory D. Boardman (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA, email gboard@vt.edu); Steve R. Craig (Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA, email scraig@vt.edu); George J. Flick, Jr. (Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA, email flickg@vt.edu); and Ewen McLean (Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA, email emclean@vt.edu).

Country Reports

Africa
West Africa

I am looking for experienced people to manage a proposed 700-hectare prawn (Macrobrachium) and shrimp (Penaeus monodon) farm in West Africa. The offer is for a three-year contract. Applicants must be able to design and manage the farm and will be given the option of hiring their own management team.

Information: Sula Limited (sula242@yahoo.com).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] Need Services of Prawn/Shrimp Technician. From: sula242@yahoo.com. February 6, 2007.

Argentina
Red Shrimp Farming

Argenova SA, a subsidiary of Spain's leading seafood company, Pescanova, has announced that it will implement a pilot project to test the feasibility of farming the Argentine red shrimp (Pleoticus mueller) in Santa Cruz Province. Wild broodstock will be used until the company develops closed-cycle hatchery techniques. Carlos Rajoy, a director at Argenova, said there is almost no information available on farming red shrimp, but added that demand and prices were high for red shrimp.

Information: Carlos Rajoy, Argenova SA, Av. Las Toninas No 679, Z. Portuaria, Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina (phone 54-297-447-9235, fax 54-297-447-2818, email juliancg@argenova.com.ar).

Source: Fish Farming International (http://www.fishfarminginternational.com). Editor, Kenny McCaffrey (kenny.mccaffrey@informa.com). News in Brief/Argentina shrimp. Volume 34, Number 1, Page 24, January 2007.

Brazil
Wanted--Information on Shrimp Feeds

Hi, my name is Ana Paula [Guerrelhas Teixeira] and I'm working on my master's thesis on shrimp/prawn nutrition. I'm searching for all the information I can get on this topic, especially something on digestibility and nutritional requirements (protein, cholesterol, fatty acids). So if anyone could help me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks a lot Ana.

Laurence responds: See Crustacean Nutrition (http://www.was.org/shopping/shopexd.asp?ID=5).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] Shrimp and Prawn Nutrition. From: ap22ka@yahoo.com.br. February 5, 2007. From: ecotao@yahoo.com. February 6, 2007.

Ecuador
Favorable Dumping Decision

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled in favor of Ecuador in the dumping case filed by the United States. The ruling says that the USA tariffs imposed on Ecuadorian shrimp were the results of methods deemed illegal by the WTO.

The president of Ecuador's National Aquaculture Chamber, Cesar Monge, said, "The decision of the panel is an historic one, even though it does not surprise us because we always knew we were right."

Now, the ruling has to be recognized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO. If Ecuador gets a favorable ruling, the USA Department of Commerce has six months to calculate tariffs based on a different mechanism, which means that Ecuador's duties would probably be reduced to zero. Monge said that since 2004, shrimp producers have paid $60 million in duties and other fees. Unfortunately, WTO decisions are not retroactive, so those fees cannot be recuperated.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). Ecuador shrimp exporters confident that WTO win will lead to zero shrimp tariffs. Angel Rubio Canas. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). February 2, 2007.

European Union
Antibiotics

The European Union will no longer permit reexport of contaminated shrimp shipments from India and other countries because those shipments could eventually find their way into local markets of the exporting countries, leaving the EU with only one option: destroying the contaminated shrimp. All costs associated with destruction would have to be borne by the importer or his representative.

Source: The Financial Express. EU gets tough on shrimp antibiotic residues (http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=154025). Ajayan. February 7, 2007.

Malaysia
Sea Horse Corporation

Lee Choon Kheng, the executive director of Sea Horse Corporation, Sdn., Bhd., the largest shrimp farming and processing company in Sarawak (one of two states in East Malaysia on the north coast of Borneo), said it sells shrimp to Japan for approximately $6,000 for a ton. In 2006, Sea Horse sold 1,000 tons of white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) to Japan. "This year, we are targeting 1,500 tons," he said. Lee said his company switched to white shrimp at the end of 2005 after years of breeding and processing black tiger shrimp (P. monodon). "The black tiger shrimp was difficult to breed as it is prone to disease," he said.

Information: Lee Choon Kheng, Sea Horse Corporation, Sdn., Bhd., Lot 983, Section 66, Jalan Tambatan, Pending Industrial Estate, 93450 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (phone 6082-331762, fax 6082-489631, email seahorse@tm.net.my).

Source: New Straits Times. Local News/Shrimps brighten up Year of the Dog (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday/National/20070207091402/Article/local1_html). February 7, 2007.

Morocco
Lobster Farm

We are a British company that operates a fishing fleet in Morocco. We are looking for a Japanese partner (50% share) to invest $280,000 in a shrimp and lobster farm that would "fatten" juveniles captured in the wild. We have the permits, plans, design and some equipment. We want investors in Japan than can handle weekly shipments. We expect to produce 140 tons of crustaceans a year.

Source: Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Investors for shrimp and lobster project (http://www3.jetro.go.jp/ttpp/EAN.CR06_EAN?id=1087655&corner_id=999). Proposal Number 1087655. Date of Registration, Jan 25, 2007; Date of Revision, Jan 26, 2007.

Nicaragua
The International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Trade Show

Grupo de Ferias, Congresos y Eventos has created an English/Spanish webpage (http://www.gfce.org) for The International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Trade Show to be held in León, Nicaragua, on May 2-4, 2007. At the webpage, click on the green rectangle next to the map of South America to get information on registration, the trade show and hotels. 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). Dr. Donald Lightener, the world famous expert on shrimp viruses from the University of Arizona (USA), will give three presentations, and Dr. Timothy Flegel, a shrimp disease expert from the CP Group in Thailand, will also give a presentation. The program, which should be available at the site by the end of February, is not limited to diseases and pathogens, but will also cover nutrition, pond fertilization, genetics, growout, biosecurity and export regulations for organic shrimp.

Information: Manuel Alzamora, conference manager (phone 507-236-7845, cell 507-661-26919, fax 507-236-6652, email malzamora@gfce.org).

Source: Grupo de Ferias, Congresos y Eventos Webpage (http://www.gfce.org). February 5, 2007.

Philippines
Korean to Invest

On January 31, 2007, Palawan Korea Corporation (PALKO) plans to invest $930,678 in a 1,000-hectare shrimp farm on Palawan, an island province in the Western Visayas Region. Using state-of-the-art technology, the project will create an estimated 1,000 jobs.

Source: Business.Balita.Ph. Korean trader to invest P45M for prawn culture in Palawan (http://biz.balita.ph/html/article.php/20070202154613324). February 2, 2007.

United Kingdom
Dragon Feeds

Dragon Feeds, a Welsh company, has been farming polychaetes since 1998 and currently has two products for shrimp hatcheries: Dragon Feeds Supreme, a complete maturation diet that replaces squid and bloodworms; and Dragon Larval Diet, a complete range of shrimp larval diets that require no Artemia supplement. The larval diet comes in five sizes to accommodate zoea-1 through postlarvae-20.

Information: Tony Smith, Managing Director, Dragon Feeds, Ltd., Unit 45, Endeavour Industrial Estate, Baglan, Port Talbot, Wales SA12 7PT, United Kingdom (phone 44-1639-896777, fax 44-1639-883173, email tony.smith@dragonfeeds.com, webpage www.dragonfeeds.com).

Source: Fish Farming International (http://www.fishfarminginternational.com). Editor, Kenny McCaffrey (kenny.mccaffrey@informa.com). Advertisement/Dragon Feeds. Volume 34, Number 1, Page 22, January 2007.

United States
Alaska--Crabs Are Hatching

Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Seward Marine Center said they feel "like expectant parents" as they wait for more than one million Pribilof blue king crab and Kodiak red king crab eggs to hatch.

Brian Allee, director of Alaska Sea Grant and manager of the Alaska King Crab Research and Rehabilitation Program, said "These newly hatched crabs will help us understand what is needed to succeed in large-scale hatchery restoration of crab stocks in parts of Alaska where their numbers are low. In the months ahead, we'll refine our understanding of the food, habitat and growing needs of these crabs."

Information: Brian Allee, Ph.D., Director, Alaska Sea Grant College Program, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-5040 USA (phone 907-474-7949, email allee@sfos.uaf.edu, webpage http://seagrant.uaf.edu).

Source: FISHUpdate.com. Alaska/Crab research programme prepares for egg hatch (http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/6586/Alaska:_Crab_research_programme_prepares_for_egg_hatch.html). February 7, 2007.

United States
California--Redclaw Lobster

Serge Birk owns and operates Redclaw Lobster in Red Bluff, the only licensed business in the state where freshwater Australian redclaw crayfish are raised. It takes six to nine months for the crayfish to reach market size, about 10 inches from head to tail. At that point, Birk harvests and sells them to Northern California restaurants. "We only sell this product live," Birk said. "This crayfish tastes more like a New England Maine lobster than any shrimp or prawn out there. They are delicate, firm, white and just fantastic. Everybody that has ever had an opportunity to taste them always asks 'Can you produce more?'"

Birk also owned and operated a freshwater prawn farm in Nevada in the 1980s.

Information: Serge Birk, Redclaw Lobster, 11861 Parey Avenue, Red Bluff, CA 96080 USA (phone 530-527-2901, email sergebirk@starband.net).

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation. Rebels with claws (http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=757&ck=470E7A4F017A5476AFB7EEB3F8B96F9B). Jim Morris (jmorris@cfbf.com). February 7, 2007.

United States
Florida--OceanBoy Farms

Larisa [no other identity given] posts to a blog/site titled SisterHoodIsPower: Here's a clip from one of her recent posts: Got my first Audubon magazine today. It contains an interesting article on organic shrimp. I had no idea shrimp was so bad for the environment...well, not the actual shrimp, but shrimp farming and fishing. People are so irresponsible it's sickening. I don't eat shrimp myself.

Shrimp News: I immediately went to my local Barnes & Nobel Booksellers and purchased a copy of the January-February 2007 issue of Audubon magazine for $2.95.

Shrimp farming and shrimp fishing come in for a lot of criticism in the article, but OceanBoy Farms, the only USDA-Certified Organic shrimp farm in the world, gets a lot of praise. OceanBoy grows marine shrimp in 1,000 acres of freshwater ponds in central Florida.

In the article, David McMahon, founder of OceanBoy Farms, says, "Shrimp farms are destroying wetlands all over the world. ...They use up to three pounds of food to produce a pound of shrimp. And the trawlers, dragging those nets, just anger me. They're destroying not just reefs but the entire ocean bottom environment. I chose to raise organic shrimp because both the wild fisheries and the shrimp farming industry have huge impacts." McMahon got the idea for OceanBoy in the 1990s, while studying the feasibility of organic shrimp farming for his master's degree in oceanography. He started the company in 1998, the same year he earned his master's degree and then went on to get a doctorate in 2003.

The company has its own broodstock and nursery, and it feeds its shrimp organically fed tilapia raised onsite. "We wanted a completely closed system," says McMahon. "We grow all our own food and process all our own waste. We're growing these things with the sun." The sun nourishes aquatic plants that sustain the tilapia, the shrimp feed on the tilapia, and the plants feed on the wastes generated by the tilapia and shrimp.

Pull a shrimp from anywhere and farm manager Michael Mogollon can tell you its pedigree and every tank, raceway and pond it's ever lived in. "We track these shrimp from the day they're born," he says. "And we monitor their environments constantly." If anything drifts out of whack, Mogollon or one of his assistants prescribes an organic antidote to reverse it.

Sold Out: A note on OceanBoy's webpage says: "Due to the very high demand for OceanBoy Farms certified organic shrimp, we are temporarily sold out. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers. Please visit our website again in July 2007 for news concerning the new summer harvest and be sure to mention OceanBoy Farms to your neighborhood retailers so that they can order early and have a supply on hand for the coming season."

Information: David McMahon, OceanBoy Farms, Inc., 2954 Airglades Boulevard, Clewiston, FL 33440 USA (phone 863-983-9941, fax 863-983-9943, email info@oceanboyfarms.com, webpage http://www.oceanboyfarms.com/index.php).

Information: Audubon Magazine, 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 (webpage, http://audubonmagazine.org/audubonathome/audubonathome0701.html, email questions to: rebersole@audubon.org).

Sources: 1. Sister Hood Is Power. And it's over! (http://sisterhoodispower.blog.com/1493162/). Posted by Larisa. January 31, 2007. 2. Audubon (magazine). Audubon at Home/Pass the Cocktail Sauce. David Dobbs (http://www.daviddobbs.net). Page 18, January-February 2007. 3. OceanBoy Farms' Webpage on February 12, 2007.

United States
Florida--Jobs

A small, intensive, integrated shrimp farm in central Florida is looking for technicians and managers for its raceways and hatchery. The candidates must have experience in intensive shrimp farming systems. Submit your resume in English to dschu91733@aol.com.

Information: Eric Pinon, Service Aqua, LLC, 2970 West 84 Street, Bay#1, Hialeah, FL 33018, USA (phone 772-408-6133, 772-264-8076, email sales@serviceaqua.com, webpage www.serviceaqua.com).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] Positions available/Shrimp Farm and Hatchery. From: epinon@serviceaqua.com. February 14, 2007.

United States
Florida--Applied Food Technologies, LLC

On February 6, 2007, Wild American Shrimp, Inc., in collaboration with Applied Food Technologies, LLC, announced the development of DNA-based tests for identifying domestic brown, pink and white shrimp. LeeAnn Applewhite, chief executive officer of Applied Food Technologies, said additional DNA-based identification of the other shrimp species is expected later in 2007. Applewhite said the tests cost less than $200 each.

In a letter to Seafood.com, an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service, Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeast Fisheries Association, said, "We think we will eventually be able to tell which bay or area of the Gulf the shrimp were harvested."

Information: LeeAnn Applewhite, Applied Food Technologies, 3610 NW 42nd Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32606 USA (352-376-9762, email apple@appliedfoodtechnologies.com).

Information: Eddie Gordon, Executive Director, Wild American Shrimp (phone 843-937-0002, webpage http://www.certifiedshrimp.com).

Information: Bob Jones, Southeastern Fisheries Association, Inc., 1118 B Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32303 USA (phone 850-224-0612, fax 850-222-3663, email bobfish@aol.com).

Sources: 1. PRNewswire-USNewswire. Wild American Shrimp® Introduces First-Ever DNA-Based Testing for Domestic Shrimp Species (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-06-2007/0004521663&EDATE=). February 6, 2007. 2. Seafood.com. Letter: Genetic shrimp identification better than you think; helps Florida's pink shrimp. Bob Jones. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). February 8, 2007. 3. Telephone conversation with LeeAnn Applewhite on February 12, 2007.

United States
Maine--Job at Lobster Hatchery

The Penobscot East Resource Center in Stonington has a job opening for someone with a M.S. in Aquaculture or related field--or significant experience culturing and managing lobster culture facilities. Some overtime, weekend and holiday hours may be required to maintain consistent hatchery operations.

Requirements:

Ability to culture algae, brine shrimp and lobster larvae
A proven record of planning, scheduling and implementing projects
A working knowledge of disease-free techniques and database management
Able to supervise a small staff, and willing to work flexible hours
A commitment to community-based science

The successful candidate will be in charge of daily operations in consultation with Penobscot East Resource Center leadership. Responsibilities during the summer include:

Producing consistent cultures of microalgae
Feeding brine shrimp
Feeding lobster larvae
Spawning broodstock
Rearing larval
Collecting data
Working in the field
Coordinating releases with fishermen and scientists
Maintaining equipment

Responsibilities during the winter include:

Generating reports
Analyzing and interpreting data
Preparing manuscript and grant proposals
Working with the fishermen and communities that support the hatchery
Planning for the next rearing and research season

The hatchery, located in Stonington, is community supported and uses state-of-the art aquaculture technology to rear lobster larvae for release into the wild. It is a project of Penobscot East Resource Center, an organization dedicated to securing a future for fishing communities in eastern Maine through community leadership and community science. One of the primary goals of the hatchery is to seed postlarval lobsters in depleted historical fishing areas identified by fishermen. The hatchery conducts collaborative research with Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences, also in Maine, to monitor the survival of its releases.

Information: Interested parties should email a cover letter, resume and references to Bobbi Billings (207-367-2708, email info@penobscoteast.org). Closing Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2007.

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). Lobster Hatchery Manager (http://aquanic.org/jobs/jobinfo.asp?jobid=2259). Posted January 31, 2007.

Vietnam
Feeding Snails to Shrimp

Vo Hong Ngoan, 50, a shrimp farmer in Bac Lieu Township, has successfully pioneered the use of oc buou vang, or golden snails (prolific pests that eat through farmers' crops), as a feed for tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon).

His new feeding system, along with studies on pond population densities, has created higher incomes and lowered risks for local farmers. He discovered the nutritional value in one kilogram of industrial feed is equivalent to three kilograms of golden snail chum.

Ngoan usually uses 10 kilos of industrial feed in the morning and 30-40 kilos of snails in the afternoon. In the two months leading up to the harvest, he uses snails only. He also conducted studies on population density in ponds and found that 7 to 11 shrimp per square meter was more economical than the more common 35 to 40 shrimp per square meter.

Total sales from his ponds in 2004 were $500,371, of which $187,639 was profit. In 2006, his profits grew to $262,695.

Source: VietnamNews. Pioneering snail-fed shrimp farms yield higher profits (http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=03AGR030207). February 3, 2007.