Free News July 21, 2006

Australia
Cyclone Larry

Queensland's Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries is helping more than 40 aquaculturists recover from Cyclone Larry, a category-five hurricane that hit Australia's northeast coast on March 20, 2006. The cost to the aquaculture industry: between $3.76 and $7.53 million (USA dollars), mostly from damaged infrastructure and production losses.

Two shrimp hatcheries--Seafarm at Flying Fish Point near Innisfail and Great Barrier Reef Hatchery at Mission Beach--were in the cyclone's path and were badly damaged. Most of the damage was to sheds, nurseries and buildings. Because of the power outage that lasted several days, some farms lost their inventories of frozen product.

Source: Queensland Aquaculture News. Editors, Ross Lobegeiger and Max Wingfield. Queensland's Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (Bribie Island Aquaculture Research Centre, P.O. Box 2066, Woorim, Queensland 4507, Australia, phone 07-3400-2040, fax 07-3408-3535). Impact of Cyclone Larry on NQ aquaculture industry. Michael Heidenreich and Chris Robertson. Page 7, Issue 28, July 2006.

Australia
Crabs

I am very keen to contact anyone who has involvement or interest in the shipping of marine crabs.

We are investigating stress indicators in mud crabs (Scylla serrata). In Australia, mud crabs are shipped dry and live from remote locations and might be out of water for 15 days before they reach a distributor. Then they're graded, packed and transported to local and international markets. Is anyone out there doing similar work with crabs?

Information: John Mayze, Senior Seafood Technician, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (phone 07-3406-8552, fax 07-3406-8698, email john.mayze@dpi.qld.gov.au, website http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/food).

Source: The Crust-L Mailing list (To subscribe, send an email to LISTPROC@VIMS.EDU. In the body of the email, put SUBSCRIBE CRUST-L). Subject: [CRUST-L:2076] Empty Crabs. From: John.Mayze@dpi.qld.gov.au. July 9, 2006.

Bangladesh
Virus Hits Cox's Bazar

A new virus outbreak has hit hundreds of shrimp farms in southeast Bangladesh, around Cox's Bazar. Abdul Hashem, one of the leading shrimp farmers in the region, said that about 1,000 out of 3,000 shrimp ponds were struck. The tails of infected shrimp turned red, suggesting the whitespot virus.

Reasons given for the attack:

• Adverse weather, heavy rain and flooding
• Contaminated water rolling down from the hills
• Unplanned and unscientific farming practices
• Imported seedstock infected with viruses
• Indiscriminate use of drugs and chemicals

Officials of Cox's Bazar Shrimp Cultivators' Association said the hardest hit districts were Moheshkhali, Chakaria, Teknaf, Pekwa and Kutubdia.

Source: The Daily Star. Virus Attack Spreads in Cox's Bazar/Shrimps in hundreds of enclosures damaged (http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/07/16/d60716070195.htm). Muazzem Hossain Shakil. July 16, 2006.

Bangladesh
Lacks Testing Equipment for Nitrofurans

With the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, the European Commission (EC) is one of the three main institutions governing the European Union. The Commission has threatened to stop importing frozen shrimp from Bangladesh by August 2006 if Bangladesh doesn't comply with the EU's food safety directives. In a letter to the government, the Commission said that the quality control of the frozen food in Bangladesh was incomplete and that it failed to meet EU standards.

EU countries are likely to stop importing frozen shrimp from Bangladesh if conditions don't improve.

The EU team that visited Bangladesh in November 2005 expressed disappointment after learning that the laboratories of the Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research had no equipment for detecting nitrofurans, but continued to issue nitrofuran-free certificates.

After inspecting processing plants in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna, the four-member EU delegation, which inspected facilities in Bangladesh for nine weeks, urgently suggested that the government purchase nitrofuran detection equipment, but the government shelved the suggestion.

Currently, of the 130 shrimp processing plants in Bangladesh, the EU has approved 58 for shipping seafood to its markets.

Bangladesh's 50 shrimp hatcheries produce about five billion postlarvae a year.

Source: The Financial Express. Frozen food sector eyes 'Vision 2008' target (http://www.financialexpress-bd.com/index3.asp?cnd=7/16/2006&section_id=4&newsid=31113&spcl=no). Shahiduzzaman Khan. July 16, 2006.

Brazil
Wants Macrobrachium amazonicum

I am looking for a supplier of Macrobrachium amazonicum (the Amazon freshwater prawn).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International. Subject: Looking for Macrobrachium Amazonicum. From: Jerry.Bailey@wfp.org. July 10, 2006.

China
Wants Agent to Sell Shrimp Feed in USA

We are a shrimp feed trading company in mainland China. Our feed mills in Taiwan have been producing shrimp feeds for over 20 years. We are seeking a general agent for our products in the USA.

Information: Dawn Lin, Richen International Enterprise, Co., Ltd., Room 1201, Hongyun Building No. 108, Hexiang East Road, Xiamen 361004, China (phone 86-592-5857929, fax 86-592-5333783, email dawn@richen-feed.com, webpage http://www.richen-feed.com).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International. Subject: cooperation on shrimp feed. From: Dawn Lin. July 11, 2006.

India
Wants Mechanized Feeder

Saji Chacko posted to the Shrimp List: I am interested in purchasing a mechanized shrimp feeder (broadcaster) that can be mounted on a vehicle or small boat.

Alec Forbes responded: In Australia and most countries in Southeast Asia, the aquaculture magazines are full of advertisements for feed blowers which can be motorcycle mounted, boat mounted or truck mounted.

Eluri Apuchand responded: In India, farmers use a modified power sprayer. It can be mounted on a bike and a larger version can be mounted on a truck. It can throw pellets up to 12-15 feet, depending on pellet size. Crumbles only go a few feet.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] Automatic Shrimp Feeder. From: Saji Chacko (saji@gmail.com). July 11, 2006. From: Alec Forbes (aforbes@mfmr.gov.na). July 11, 2006. From Eluri Apuchand (apuchand@yahoo.com). July 12, 2006.

India
Wanted: Feed Marketers

We need a senior technician to market shrimp feeds in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, both on the central west coast.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: Re: [shrimp] Shrimp Farm Management. From: shreege10@yahoo.co.in. July 10, 2006.

Indonesia
Mangroves

Medan, North Sumatra..."More than 50 percent of the 70,000 hectares of mangrove forests spread in seven districts from Deli Serdang to Nias are badly damaged," said Jaya Arjuna, an observer from Sumatra Utara University. He said that most of the damage was from shrimp ponds and that the damage would not have occurred if the government had performed its supervisory function.

Most of the damaged mangrove forest is located in Langkat District where 18,000 out of 30,000 hectares are badly damaged, followed by Asahan District where 12,000 hectares out of 14,000 are damaged.

Source: Antara News. N Sumatra mangrove forests in critical condition (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=16092). July 11, 2006.

Italy
A Quick Exchange from the Shrimp List

Giuseppe Scordella posted: We need 2,500 kilograms of Penaeus vannamei feed.

Dr. Ranjit responded: You can contact the National Prawn Company in Saudi Arabia (www.robian.com.sa). It has the biggest shrimp feed plant in the Middle East, and it's near you.

Information: Giuseppe Scordella, APULA SHRIMP s.r.l., Via Palermo, 8 73029 Vernole (LE), Italy (webpage http://www.apulashrimp.it).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] P. vannamei feed supply required. From: Dr. Giuseppe Scordella (giuseppe@scordella.it). July 9, 2006. From: Ranjit, Ph.D. (ranjits55@yahoo.com). July 11, 2006.

Malaysia
Transshipments

Shrimp producers from nations subjected to dumping tariffs are transshipping shrimp through Malaysia to evade the tariffs, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister. He said the practice puts Malaysia at risk of being placed on the list of shrimp dumping countries, adding, "We will identify those involved and blacklist them for the sake of the industry." The ministry was informed of the transshipments by major shrimp importing nations like the United States.

Source: Bernama.com. Local Link Used to Evade Prawn Anti Dumping Tariff, Says Muhyiddin (http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=207602). July 11, 2006.

Mozambique
Penaeus Monodon Broodstock For Sale

Our company collects and markets Penaeus Monodon broodstock from Mozambique. We have a good relationship with the Government and are allowed to collect over a large area on the well know Sofala Bank. Our animals can not be certified as pathogen free, but we have not encountered a single animal infected with any known virus since we started collecting in 1997. We have large quantities and sizes of healthy animals with good hatching and grow-out rates. We have marketed and exported thousands of animals successfully all around the world.

Source: Email to Shrimp News International. Subject: Monodon broodstock from Mozambique. From: Dr. Chris Schnell, Marbar Limitada, Vilankulo, Mozambique (cell phone +258 823824030, email chris@vilanculo.com). July 18, 2006

Taiwan
U-Catch-Um Shrimp Farms

In Taiwan's capital, Taipei, "shrimp farms" are special attractions, places where Taipei urbanites can fish for shrimp without having to hire a shrimp trawler. These are places where the shrimp are always biting, nobody goes home empty handed, and you can land the big one without having to put down your bottle of beer. Plus, the rod rental covers the cost of dinner.

One of the most popular shrimping spots is on Zhishan Road about 1.5 kilometers past the National Palace Museum. At night, it rises up out of the dark like a miniature Las Vegas, four practically identical farms, complete with brightly lit arcade games, restaurants and the mandatory karaoke room. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, they provide impatient Taipei anglers with instant gratification.

At the Tianyue Shrimp Farm, which shares a parking lot with a bowling alley and shopping center, customers have the choice of paying extra to shrimp in a pool stocked with jumbo shrimp. An employee says, "You should put your line in the bubbles. I think they like the bubbles because it's more fun for them to swim around there." The water is kept unnaturally murky so that you can't actually see the shrimp on the bottom. Were it not for that, you could probably just reach in and grab them.

Source: Growfish (Gippsland Aquaculture Industry Network, Inc., http://www.growfish.com.au/default.asp). Catch and Pay Shrimp Farming/It's not quite shooting fish in a barrel, but it's close. (http://www.growfish.com.au/content.asp?contentid=6971). Marc Langer. Edition-60, July 11, 2006.

United States
Florida--OceanBoy

OceanBoy Farms grows organic, Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) at an inland, low-salinity farm in Clewiston. Plenty of big-name retail customers are stocking its shrimp, including Wal-Mart, Publix, Harris Teeter, Winn-Dixie, Kings and Costco.

Ocean Boy will produce more than 3 million pounds of shrimp in 2006, up from nearly 1 million pounds in 2005. Steve Walton, president and COO, says, "And we're going to ramp that up quickly, as demand is more than our supply right now." Ocean Boy shrimp is priced 30 percent to 40 percent higher than non-organic white shrimp.

Source: SeaFood Business (www.seafoodbusiness.com). Editor, Fiona Robinson (frobinson@divcom.com). Pacific white shrimp. Rick Ramseyer. V-25, N-7, P-36, July 2006.

United States
Washington-Cysts For Sale

Stephen Newman posted to the Shrimp List: I am looking for a home for about 30,000 pounds of low to no-hatch Artemia cysts. My understanding from the literature is that cysts of this nature contain as much if not more nutritional value than hatched cysts. Any comments on this would be appreciated as well as any interest in taking them off of my hands.

Howard Newman responded: Decapsulated, the cysts would have some value in freshwater fish culture. The cost of decapsulation makes the proposition relatively unattractive in the USA. Look for a country where labor costs are low, where hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide (used to remove the shell) are cheap and where a building with super ventilation is readily available.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, "shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"). Subject: [shrimp] Artemia Cysts. From: Stephen Newman (sgnewm@hotmail.com). July 11, 2006. From: Howard Newman (bshrimp@aol.com). July 12, 2006.

Vietnam
Shrimp Impurities

After an inspection tour of 12 southern provinces from May 18 to July 4, 2006, the National Fisheries Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (NAFIQAVED) announced that it had discovered impurities in 51 batches of shrimp, out of 22,700 batches, about one out of every 450 batches, or 0.22%. An official from NAFIQAVED said the agency is considering the possibility of inspecting every batch of shrimp produced in the southern provinces.

Source: Vietnam Net Bridge. Few shrimp farms found with impurities (http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2006/07/591006/). Ha Yen. July 13, 2006.