Free News July 6, 2007

International Shrimp Health Workshop in Brunei

On August 13-15, 2007, the University of Brunei, the Brunei Department of Fisheries, and Integrated Aquaculture International will conduct a seminar and workshop on shrimp health. Dr. George Chamberlain, technical director and co-owner of Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI), forwarded the following information:

“The 3-day workshop will involve an international seminar on Day 1, a tour of diagnostic, breeding, hatchery and pond facilities on Day 2, and a hands-on diagnostic lab session on Day 3. The event will feature Don Lightner and Rita Redman from the University of Arizona in the United States, Leigh Owens from James Cook University in Australia, Hasnah Ibrahim and Wanidawati Tamat of the Brunei Department of Fisheries, and the IAI team (Kerry Claydon, Aedrian Ortiz, Eduardo Figueras, Chris Howell, Victor Suresh, Vasagam Kumaraguru and I).”

Program: For the complete program and more information go to: http://www.integratedaquaculture.com. This link is at the bottom of IAI’s home page, within a box labeled “Brunei News”. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. In-depth knowledge of shrimp disease is not necessary.

Day 1: In a series of lectures, international experts will brief participants on the history and current status of shrimp diseases. The lectures will cover the management of shrimp diseases and the use of diagnostic tools such as conventional PCR, real time PCR and histopathology. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion.

Day 2: The second day will be devoted to a comprehensive tour of facilities, including a diagnostic laboratory, primary quarantine facility, secondary quarantine facility, nucleus breeding center, broodstock multiplication center, hatchery, and farm.

Day 3: Specimens collected during the tour will be examined in a hands-on laboratory workshop that will teach techniques such as field recognition of external symptoms, use of wet mount microscopy, and sample fixation procedures for PCR and histopathology.

Registration Fee: Brunei residents, $50; non-Brunei residents, $100 (to be paid at the door). The fee includes the seminar, tour, printed materials, bus transportation, three lunches and one dinner.

How to Register: Email your name, company/institution, address and phone number to wanidawati.tamat@fisheries.gov.bn or georgec@integratedaquaculture.com.

Registration Deadline: August 1, 2007.

Hotel: Orchid Garden Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan (the capital of Brunei). Special Rate: $78 per night, includes buffet breakfast, transportation to and from the airport (with 24-hour notice) and WiFi Internet access in the lobby and restaurant.

Hotel Reservations: Contact the hotel (above) by email (ogh@brunet.bn), telephone (+673-233-0812), or fax (+673-233-5444) and give your name and dates of arrival and departure. If you want transportation from the airport, provide your flight number and time of arrival. Also supply your intended method of payment (cash or credit card) and mention your affiliation with the “Shrimp Health Workshop”.

Information: Dr. George Chamberlain (a past president of the World Aquaculture Society and founder/president of the Global Aquaculture Alliance), Integrated Aquaculture International, LLC, 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A, St. Louis, MO 63129 USA (phone 314-293-5500, fax 314-293-5525, email georgec@integratedaquaculture.com, website www.integratedaquaculture.com).

Source: International Shrimp Health Workshop Brochure. A PDF file available at Integrated Aquaculture International’s website (www.integratedaquaculture.com). June 24, 2007.

Country Reports

Cambodia

Yellowhead Review

This paper reviews the yellowhead and the gill-associated viruses. It reports on all the relevant scientific information regarding current research methods, identifies areas where conclusions have been unjustifiably drawn and points out areas that need more research.

Source: Electronical Larviculture Newsletter (http://www.rug.ac.be/aquaculture). Editor Gilbert Van Stappen (gilbert.vanstappen@rug.ac.be). Yellow Head-Like Viruses Affecting the Penaeid Aquaculture Industry: A Review. James Munro (James.Munro@jcu.edu.au) and Leigh Owens (WorldFish Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia). Issue 268, June 15, 2007.

China

Microalgae Carries Whitespot

This study looks at the possible role of marine microalgae in outbreaks of WSSV (whitespot syndrome virus) in shrimp. Six marine microalgae (Isochrysis galbana, Skeletonema costatum, Chlorella sp., Heterosigma akashiwo, Scrippsiella trochoidea and Dunaliella salina) were co-cultured with adult Penaeus japonicus infected with WSSV and were tested daily by nested-PCR to see if they carried WSSV. Further tests were conducted to investigate whether the virus carried by microalgae could reinfect juvenile P. japonicus. Results showed that all of the experimental microalgae, except H. akashiwo, could carry WSSV and that Chlorella sp. and S. trochoidea had the strongest WSSV-carrying ability. Unlike invertebrate carriers, the WSSV detections in microalgae, which were positive after 1 and 3 days, were negative after 10 days of incubation. WSSV detection results in juvenile P. japonicus showed that the juvenile shrimp were reinfected by cocultured Chlorella sp., although the juvenile P. japonicus carried such small amounts of WSSV that it could only be detected by nested-PCR. The results of this experiment suggest that microalgae might be one possible horizontal transmission pathway for WSSV.

Source: Electronical Larviculture Newsletter (http://www.rug.ac.be/aquaculture). Editor Gilbert Van Stappen (gilbert.vanstappen@rug.ac.be). Studies on the Transmission of WSSV (White Spot Syndrome Virus) in Juvenile Marsupenaeus japonicus Via Marine Microalgae. Bo Liu, Zhiming Yu (zyu@ms.qdio.ac.cn), Xiuxian Song and Yueqiang Guan (Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China). Issue 268, June 15, 2007.

Indonesia

CP Prima Increases Dipasena Bond by $125 Million

Jakarta...To finance the purchase of PT Dipasena Citra Darmaja, touted as the largest shrimp farm in the world, PT Central Proteinaprima (CP Prima, the lead player in the Neptune Consortium, which purchased Dipasena) has decided to raise the value of its bond offering to $325 million from $200 million and has named Barclays Capital as the underwriter.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). PT CP Prima raises value of bond issue to $325 million to buy Dipasena. Ken Coons (phone 781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com). Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). June 25, 2007.

Thailand

Shrimp Prices Crash

A sharp slump in shrimp prices has prompted local shrimpers to cut their output by more than 20%, says Dr. Surapol Pratuangtum, president of the Thai Marine Shrimp Farmers Association.

Dr. Surapol said the amount of money that farmers get for their shrimp has been falling since April 2007 and is now below production costs. Market prices for white shrimp are about $1.57 to $1.88 per kilogram for 100 count head-on shrimp, compared to $2.82 last year, while production costs average $2.20 per kilo.

Dr. Surapol said that Thai prices were lower than those of other exporting countries like Vietnam and Indonesia. Market prices for white shrimp in Vietnam, for instance, are now about $2.82 per kilo for 100 count, head-on shrimp.

Dr. Surapol attributed the sharp price drop to overproduction, the strong baht and USA requirements of a continuous bond for countries subject to dumping duties, like Thailand. Thai exporters have paid more than $188 million for bond guarantees over the last couple of years.

Dr. Surapol estimated that from April 2007 through mid-June 2007, the Thai shrimp industry lost more than $155 million because of the price slump. More losses are expected if the government does nothing to help shore up prices.

Thailand’s shrimp production is forecast at about 530,000 metric tons this year, nearly the same amount as last year.

Three associations—the Thai Marine Shrimp Farmers Association, Thai Eastern Shrimp Association and Thai Shrimp Association—are calling on the government to help increase the financial liquidity of shrimp exporters and explore new markets, including Russia, the European Union and Japan. Currently, the US buys about 50-60% of Thailand’s shrimp.

Somsak Paneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, said domestic shrimp consumption was 30,000 to 40,000 tons a year with per capita consumption at 500 grams per year. For the first four months of 2007, Thailand exported 80,000 tons of shrimp, an increase of 12.5% worth $647 million, or 4.43 % over the same period last year.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). Strong baht pushing Thai local shrimp prices well below Vietnam and Indonesia. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). June 22, 2007.

Thailand

Falling Shrimp Prices

On June 27, 2007, Sakda Mannantakul, a shrimp farmer in Phattalung Province (southeast Thailand), said farmers were in trouble due to the strong baht, which has made Thai shrimp less competitive than those from Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and China. “We are in a desperate situation now as all previous requests for help have fallen on deaf ears,” said Sakda. Most of the shrimp farmers are customers of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives and have already defaulted on their payments, Sakda said. “Shrimp farmers are finding the business hard to sustain. In southern Thailand, only about 30% of shrimp farms are left. I used to have 20 ponds, but now I have only two,” he said.

Source: Bangkok Post. Prawn raisers in desperate need of help from the state (http://www.bangkokpost.com). Assawin Pakkawan. June 27, 2007.

Thailand

Shrimp Farmers Encouraged to Switch to Cobia

In Phuket Province (an island in southwest Thailand), vice governor Smith Palawatwichai has encouraged shrimp farmers to look into cobia (a finfish) farming as a way of avoiding low shrimp prices. Since November 2006, the Norwegian government has been financing a $1 million development project for cobia farming in Tsunami-ravaged areas of southwest Thailand.

Source: Thai News. MiniVDO: Cobia farming is suggested for fish farmers in Phuket as new aqua animal (http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=214093). June 26, 2007.

United States

Arizona—“MOI” Virus

In mid-June 2007, Shidiq Moeslim, Chairman of the Indonesian Shrimp Commission, said the “MOI” virus has spread and attacked shrimp ponds in East Java for the past two years. He said the virus was suspected to have been carried to Indonesia in Penaeus vannamei broodstock from the United States.

Shrimp News asked Dr. Donald Lightner, an expert on shrimp viruses at the University of Arizona, for more information on the MOI virus. Lightner responded:

“It is far more likely that Mr. Moeslim was referring to IMNV (Infectious Myonecrosis Virus) which is causing some significant production problems, especially in East Java. I am not surprised that it is suspected to have been carried to Indonesia in Penaeus vannamei broodstock from the United States. The actual source of IMNV in Indonesia was very likely Brazil. Hence, the closest the suspect Brazilian broodstock were to being provided by the USA was when they arrived in the USA by plane from Brazil before being loaded onto a plane for Southeast Asia. There is always someone looking for a better performance or a better price for P. vannamei broodstock than the SPF producers in Hawaii provide. In this case the less expensive Brazilian broodstock came with some extra baggage.”

Information: Donald V. Lightner, Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, University of Arizona, 1117 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA (email dvl@u.arizona.edu).

Source: 1. Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). MOI virus cuts Indonesia’s 1Q shrimp export volume by 20 percent. Ken Coons (phone 781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com). Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). June 14, 2007. 2. Email to Shrimp News International from Dr. Donald Lightner on June 22, 2007.

United States

Maryland—Advanced BioNutrition

Advanced BioNutrition Corp. (ABN), a leader in providing the aquaculture industry with science-based solutions to improve animal health and nutrition, has secured $7.75 million in new capital from the Sea Change Investment Fund, a San Francisco-based fund that focuses on investments in the sustainable seafood market. Jason Winship, managing principal at the Sea Change, said, “ABN has developed an alternative to fish meal and fish oil with significant long-term economic and environmental advantages. We believe ABN will help the global aquaculture industry profitably reduce its dependence on fish meal.”

ABN will use the new capital to accelerate its sales and marketing initiatives in support of its new AquaGrow^® product lines based on a sustainable algae-based form of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic (DHA). As a single ingredient, or in combination with other key essential fatty acids, the AquaGrow products have been shown to completely replace the need for fish meal and fish oil when added to other sustainable protein sources for the cultivation of shrimp and certain finfish.

Sea Change Investment Fund invests in seafood-related companies that meet strict sustainability and financial criteria. Through its investments, the Fund intends to generate conservation benefits to improve the health of fisheries and the marine environment, as well as compelling financial returns for its investors. Sea Change offices are located in San Francisco, California (www.seachangefund.com).

Information: In the USA, David J. Kyle, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced BioNutrition Corp. (phone 410-730-8600, email dkyle@abn-corp.com); in Thailand, Larry Giessinger (lgiessinger@abn-corp.com).

Source: Businesswire. Advanced BioNutrition Corp Announces $7.75 Million Financing Lead by The Sea Change Investment Fund (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070625005700&newsLang=en). June 25, 2007.

United States

Texas—Harlingen Shrimp Farms

With an expert flick of his wrist, shrimp farmer Fritz Jaenike cast a net into one of his growout ponds, drew it back and dumped a wriggling mess of the translucent, five-inch-long shrimp into a bucket partly filled with water.

Some of the 100 or so shrimp, about 2½ months old, jumped out with a flick of their tails, and Jaenike, general manager at Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd., picked them up and put them back in the bucket, in one case making sure an escapee made it back into the pond itself.

The 52-year-old Jaenike said, “Shrimp farming has gotten to be…a real tough business.”

Harlingen Shrimp Farms generates roughly $2 million a year from 600,000 pounds of shrimp, plus its hatchery business, he said. That’s down from $4 million and 1.8 million pounds in the early part of this decade.

Overall, the value of Cameron County’s farm-raised shrimp fell to $4.6 million in 2006, from about $10 million a year earlier, according to Tony Reisinger, a Cameron County extension agent who is based in San Benito and deals with coastal and marine resources with the Texas Sea Grant and Texas A&M Cooperative Extension services.

Harlingen Shrimp Farms is trying to capitalize on environmental regulations by marketing its product as environmentally sustainable. It is also trying to tap the fresh, never-frozen market. Shrimp farmers, including Jaenike, are diversifying by raising some fish and producing larger shrimp.

Source: The Brownsville Herald. Besieged/Valley shrimp industry struggles with lower prices, higher costs (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/shrimp_77656___article.html/million_jaenike.html). Matt Whittaker (956683-4422). June 24, 2007.

United States

Texas—Wanted Penaeus setiferus Postlarvae

AcuaGenesis needs some P. setiferus postlarvae. Information: gintas@acuagenesis.com.

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). P. setiferus PLs needed (http://www.aquanic.org/discuss/_shrimp/00001199.htm). From: ptoincubator@hotmail.com. June 25, 2007.