Free News January 20, 2006

On November 17, 2005, at the 7^th International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Exhibition in Panama, I interviewed David Drennan, one of the first shrimp farmers in the Western Hemisphere. Currently, David is project manager for Industria Nacional Agropesquera (INA), a small, semi-intensive farm in the Dominican Republic, that is about to embark on a pilot, super-intensive project.

Shrimp News: What can you tell me about the new super-intensive project?

David Drennan: We plan to set up a pilot, super-intensive project, along the lines of an "aerated microbial reuse system" (AMR). We will be up and running in the next few months.

Shrimp News: How big will the final project be?

David Drennan: The success of our pilot project will dictate how fast we expand. We have a large tract of very suitable land for an AMR system and we will be working on the economies of scale needed to make our system successful. This includes some innovative technologies used to reduce energy costs.

Shrimp News: Where will you get your feeds?

David Drennan: Right now, we're feeding Zeigler diets, and since INA has fed them successfully for the last eight years, we will rely on Zeigler's nutritional "know how" to tailor diets to satisfy our super-intensive needs.

Shrimp News: Will the pilot project use earthen ponds with liners?

David Drennan: Yes we are committed to using HDPE liners. The weather hasn't cooperated too much this year, but our ponds are now lined and we're ready to "AMR" our shrimp!

Shrimp News: What about aeration?

David Drennan: We will be exploring all the alternatives. The latest equipment that we've looked at is the Modern Air Aerator unit from AREA. It's all PVC, requires no maintenance, works on an airlift principle and looks very promising, so we will study the economics of those units. But we will go with a combination of paddlewheels and aspirators based on the positive results Tzachi Somocha achieved using three different types of aerators last year.

Shrimp News: What are you going to use as a carbon source in your super-intensive ponds?

David Drennan: A combination of grains (favoring wheat), plus molasses and locally available carbon sources.

Shrimp News: What kind of stocking densities are you looking at?

David Drennan: We will stock at different stocking densities (130-200/m²) to determine how well our environment and culture strategies respond to AMR systems.

Shrimp News: Is the hatchery operating on a closed system?

David Drennan: Yes, it's a biosecure facility and we've been using High Health Broodstock to produce nauplii since the hatchery opened in 2001.

Shrimp News: Do you sell seedstock to other farms?

David Drennan: Yes, we have some quantities (up to 4 million PLs/month) of High Health (below) animals available for other farms. We've been in operation for four years now and run bimonthly checks of our seed, and checks on our broodstock when they arrive from Hawaii just as a precaution to maintain our high health status, which we have enjoyed since our testing began in 2001. Dr. Ken Hasson and Dr. Patricia Varner at Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab in College Station, Texas, are responsible for our testing using histology and PCR testing. In addition, Dr. Paul Frelier makes trips to our lab and farm to make sure we are maintaining our biosecure procedures and checks for any disease presence.

Shrimp News: Where do you get your broodstock?

David Drennan: We receive our broodstock (Litopenaeus vannamei, Kona strain) from High Health Shrimp Aquaculture in Hawaii. INA has a joint venture with High Health, under Dr. Jim Wyban , who was instrumental in the design of and site selection for INA's hatchery.

Information: David Drennan, 7339 NW 54 Street, RD# 10531, Miami, Florida 33166, USA (phone 809-470-0416, fax 809-616-8619, cell 809-327-7945, email dpd@verizon.net.do).

Information: Manuel Alzamora, Grupo De Ferias, Congresos y Eventos, S.A., P.O. Box 0816, 02898 Panama 5, Panama (phone 507-236-5196, cellular 507-612-6919, fax 507-236-6652, email camaron@gfce.org, webpage www.gfce.org).

Source: David Drennan. Interview by Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International. Panama. November 17, 2005.

"Ocean's Bounty Seafarms™, LLC, is a South Carolina Limited Liability Company formed for the purpose of commercializing new shrimp production technology developed by the Waddell Mariculture Research and Development Center (a field laboratory of the SC Department of Natural Resources, in Bluffton, SC) and others. The purchase of a 23-acre property in northeast Jasper County, SC, at Deloss Point on Taylor's Creek, will allow for the construction of a commercial biosecure, super-intensive closed-loop shrimp production system. This ecologically friendly facility will allow for the year-round production of a high-quality jumbo shrimp that is a 'Product of South Carolina', and is disease, chemical and drug-free. The goal of the Company is to become the premier farmed shrimp producer in the United States, while creating a new food production industry for North America."

"Currently, the USA produces approximately 12% of its annual consumption of shrimp from all domestic sources. The other 88% is imported from various third world countries, and most of this imported shrimp is produced from shrimp farms. Shrimp recently became the #1 seafood consumed in the U.S., with per capita consumption in 2004 at 4.2 pounds. Demand for this product has increased steadily for years and this trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future."

"In South Carolina, the Department of Natural Resources has explored shrimp farming since the 1950s. Established in 1984, the Waddell Mariculture Research and Development Center (WMC) has continued this research tradition with funding from the USDA-CSREES United States Marine Shrimp Farming Program (USMSFP). Beginning in 2003 and continuing today, technological breakthroughs were made by the USMSFP, which will allow this Company to compete effectively in the huge shrimp seafood market. (The annual wholesale shrimp market in the USA is approximately $4.0 billion, with an additional estimated $4.0 billion in value added processing and end user retail sales.) WMC researchers have demonstrated an environmentally friendly 'closed-loop' production system, in which shrimp can be produced in high density on a year-round production schedule. This system utilizes lined, biosecure raceways covered by greenhouses, and intensive water management techniques. In real-time research utilizing a pilot facility, the WMC has produced the equivalency of approximately 60,000 pounds of shrimp per acre per crop, with the ability to extract three to four crops per year (depending on desired shrimp size, large to jumbo)."

"Ocean's Bounty Seafarms, LLC, has designed its proprietary production systems for the Ocean's Bounty Project around the WMC model. The Company will be able to produce a 'Product of the USA', and precedent has been set for the possibility of obtaining an 'organically grown' designation from the USDA based upon a particular type of feed utilization. Shrimp may be grown to a desired size on a year-round basis, delivering them to processing on ice without additives, chemicals or hormones. This product may be customized in size and privately branded for an end user. It is estimated that the initial production site of the Company has the output capacity of approximately 2.0 million pounds of shrimp per year, when all phases are completed."

"The Ocean's Bounty Seafarms project is being funded totally by private investment with a Private Placement Offering. Upon build-out of the first facility, the Company plans to expand inland.... Expansion possibilities are endless throughout the southern USA, and inquiries are being received concerning franchise opportunities in the USA and certain other countries. There is no known commercial facility in the USA at this time utilizing the proprietary technology of the Company. The Company intends to vertically integrate its shrimp farming operations, managing all phases of the shrimp production cycle from hatchery to end user. This system can provide a 'Made in the USA' fresh product (or frozen), privately branded, size specific, of highest quality on a continuous basis. The product may also be shipped live to specialty markets. Though South Carolina shall be the operating base of the Company, the Company will strive to expand its operations westward. Ultimately, the Company plans to have facilities serving the eastern and western USA and a sales target of 10% of the total USA shrimp market."

Information: Mills Rooks, CEO, Ocean's Bounty Seafarms™, LLC, 3035 Mink Point Blvd., Beaufort, SC 29902 USA (phone 843-770-0068, email npcm601@yahoo.com, webpage www.oceansbountyseafarms.com).

Source: Press Release. Ocean's Bounty Seafarms. Ocean's Bounty Seafarms, LLC, Purchases Its First Commercial Shrimp Production Site in Northeast Jasper County, SC, on Taylor's Creek. January 17, 2006.

Ethiopia
Wants Seedstock

I am trying my best to start a pilot freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) or shrimp (Penaeus spp.) farm in Ethiopia, but I'm having trouble finding a nearby country that can supply postlarvae or broodstock. Is there someone out there who can help me?

Source: Email to Shrimp News from Jerry Bailey (jerrybailey55@hotmail.com) on January 9, 2006.

Thailand
International Training Course on Penaeids

From April 17 to 28, 2006, Thailand's Mahidol University and Thailand's National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) offer a two-week intensive training course on the "Biology and Pathobiology of Penaeid Shrimp".

With English as the official language, the course is designed for postgraduate students, hatchery and farm technicians, researchers and others interested penaeid shrimp.

Morning lectures will be followed by practical sessions in the lab in the afternoon. The lectures cover the life cycle, anatomy, physiology and immunology of the black tiger shrimp, including information on the nature and diagnosis of all its major diseases. The practical sessions focus on shrimp anatomy and on techniques for disease monitoring and diagnosis, ranging from gross observation to light and transmission electron microscopy and advanced molecular biology techniques, including the use of monoclonal antibodies (MAB) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology.

A one-day field trip to a shrimp hatchery and shrimp farm is on the agenda.

For the laboratory sessions, the course is opened to a maximum of 30 people; others can register for the morning lectures only.

Registration is on a "first come, first served" basis and will close on the March 17, 2006.

Registration Fee: $650 a person, cash, check or draft, payable to "Shrimp Biotechnology Business Unit". Send wire transfers to "Shrimp Biotechnology Business Unit", Account Number 080–0-028789, Bangkok Bank, NSTDA Branch Bank (111 Thailand Science Park, Phaholyothin Road, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120 Thailand, phone 66-2564-8028. Swift Code: BKKBTHBK).

For Registration Forms and More Information: info@shrimpbiotec.com.

Information: Philippe Tacon, Shrimp Biotechnology Business Unit, BIOTEC Pilot Plant, Module 2, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phaholyothin Road, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand (phone 66-2564-6531, fax 66-2564-6602, email ptacon@shrimpbiotec.com).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: Re: [shrimp] International shrimp course. From: "phil_sbbu" (phil_sbbu@yahoo.fr). January 4, 2006.

United States
California-Dallas Weaver

Dr. Dallas Weaver, aquaculture and wastewater consultant, reports: My hatchery has been dismantled, and I am now working from my home. Information: Dallas E. Weaver, Ph.D., Scientific Hatcheries, 8152 Evelyn Cr., Huntington Beach, CA 92646 USA (phone 714-960-4171, cell 714-614-3925, email deweaver@surfcity.net, webpage www.scientifichatcheries.com).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: Re: [shrimp] Digest Number 2087. From: Dallas Weaver (deweaver@surfcity.net). January 11, 2006.

United States
Nevada-Aquaculture America 2006

At Aquaculture America 2006 (Las Vegas, February 13-16, 2006), Dragon Feeds (Port Talbot, Wales, United Kingdom) will introduce a new shrimp feed based on farmed ragworms (polychaetes). Tony Smith, managing director of the family-run business, says his new plant will have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of the feed a year.

Source: ICWales.Co.UK (The national website of Wales). Fish feed firm plans to net £300m (http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0100news/tm_objectid=16556342&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=fish-feed-firm-plans-to-net--pound-300m-name_page.html). Sion Barry (Western Mail). January 7, 2006.

United States
Nevada-Aquaculture America 2006-Announcements

If you are planning a special event (reception, meeting, workshop, product announcement, party) for Aquaculture America 2006 in Las Vegas (February 13-16), let me know about it, and I'll announce it in this space next week. Click here for some general guidelines on submitting your announcements to Shrimp News.

Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, January 15, 2006.

United States
Nevada-Aquaculture America 2006-Five Shrimp Sessions

Click here to view a list of the presentations/authors/topics.

Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, January 20, 2006.

United States
Texas-Production of Farmed Shrimp in 2005

According to Joedy Gray, Texas Parks and Wildlife (Austin), and Dr. Ya Sheng Juan, TPWD (Brownsville), production of farmed shrimp in Texas in 2005 was 6,831,238 pounds of whole shrimp.

Source: Email to Shrimp News from Granvil Treece (gtreece@neo.tamu.edu) on January 18, 2006.

United States
Washington, DC, Aquaculture Grants

In 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award up to $4 million in competitive grants for demonstration projects and research targeted at the development of sustainable marine aquaculture in the United States. Coordinated by the NOAA Aquaculture Program and NOAA Research, the deadline for preliminary proposals is February 28, 2006. To view the full announcement, including specifics on eligibility and the application process, go to: www.aquaculture.noaa.gov. Look for the link under "News". For more information, contact Dr. Jim McVey (phone 301-713-2435, email jim.mcvey@noaa.gov). For more information on the NOAA Aquaculture Program, contact Kate Naughten (kate.naughten@noaa.gov).

Source: NFInsider (weekly, online newsletter for members of the National Fisheries Institute). NOAA Opens 2006 Aquaculture Competition. Editor, Geraldine Thomas (phone 703-752-8888, email gthomas@nfi.org, webpage http://www.nfi.org). Volume 5, Issue 1, January 9, 2006.

United States
Washington State--Aquaculture Certification Council

Bill More, a shrimp farming and processing plant consultant and vice president of the Aquaculture Certification Council, forwarded this revised estimate (based on a broad survey) of world shrimp production in 2005.

Eastern Hemisphere in 2005

China: 400,000 metric tons
Thailand: 325,000 metric tons
Vietnam: 310,000 metric tons
Indonesia: 300,000 metric tons
India: 105,000 metric tons

Western Hemisphere Production in 2005

Ecuador: 93,000 metric tons
Mexico: 83,000 metric tons
Brazil: 61,000 metric tons
Honduras: 23,000 metric tons

Europe's Imports in 2005

Spain: 140,000 metric tons (China, major supplier), volume down 4%.

France: 100,000 metric tons (Brazil, major supplier), no change in volume.

UK: 95,000 metric tons (Bangladesh, major supplier), volume up slightly.

Italy: 60,000 metric tons (Ecuador, major supplier), volume up 5%.

Germany: 30,000 metric tons (major supplier not known), volume up 16%.

Information: William R. More, Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc., 12815 72nd Avenue NE, Kirkland, WA 98034 USA (phone 425-825-7935, fax 425-650-3001, cell 206-321-0795, email wrmore@comcast.net, website www.aquaculturecertification.org).

Source: Email to Shrimp News from Betty More at the Aquaculture Certification Council on January 11, 2006.

Production of Farmed Shrimp in Texas in 2005
Farm Number	Postlarvae Stocked	Pounds Harvested	Survival	Acres
Farm 1	2,200,000	55,600	48.04%	10
Farm 2	1,100,000	31,000	53.27%	5
Farm 3	3,923,750	86,107	48.37%	20
Farm 4	34,444,000	699,242	42.10%	185
Farm 5	11,000,000	330,000	54.55%	50
Farm 6	8,000,000	249,671	64.40%	40
Farm 7	3,900,000	88,172	48.25%	15
Farm 8	11,000,000	357,345	67.04%	50
Farm 9	13,630,000	244,764	40.76%	60
Farm 10	2,600,000	781,000	69.23%	145
Farm 11	61,000,000	1,755,318	44.26%	460
Farm 12	2,800,000	40,000	40.00%	14
Farm 13	32,500,000	565,849	45.54%	412
Farm 14	18,000,000	342,000	53.20%	78
Farm 15		303,000	27.00%	122
Farm 16	50,200,000	882,170	45.69%	220
Farm 17	1,000,000	20,000	70.00%	20
Totals	257,297,750	6,831,328	47.39%	1,906