Free News July 27, 2007

Rendered Animal Byproducts Replace Fish Meal in Shrimp Feeds

At the “Eighth International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Trade Show” (May 2007, León, Nicaragua), I interviewed Germán Dávalos, regional director of the National Renderers Association (NRA) in Latin America; Dr. Albert Tacon, technical director of Aquatic Farms and a consultant to NRA; and Dr. Sergio Nates, president of the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, Inc., the research arm of NRA. We discussed replacing the fish meal in shrimp feeds with rendered animal byproducts.

Shrimp News: Germán, what is the National Renderers Association and how can it help shrimp feed manufacturers?

Germán Dávalos: The NRA is an association of all the renderers in the USA. We promote the export of their products. Our main office is in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, and we have offices in Mexico City, Hong Kong and London. I cover Mexico and Latin America, the Hong Kong office covers Asia, and the London office covers the Middle East and Africa.

We promote our products as fish meal replacements. They cost less than fish meal with no sacrifice in quality. For example, we have a product that contains 65 percent protein and an amino acid profile that is very similar to fish meal. It’s not identical, but works very nicely in shrimp feeds. Right now poultry byproduct meal with 65 percent protein costs $575 a ton (FOB USA), while fish meal costs over a $1,000 a ton.

Shrimp News: Sergio, what does the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation do?

Sergio Nates: We’re the research arm of the NRA. We were funded by NRA in 1964 to do market research. We have funded over 600 research projects. We also have a research center at the University of Clemson in South Carolina, called The Animal Co-Products Research and Education Association, where we do research on the nonfeed uses of rendered products. In conjunction with NRA, we sponsor a couple of trade shows every year. Shrimp feed manufacturers and shrimp farmers are invited to them, along with the producers of other aquaculture feeds. In Asia, the shrimp feed manufacturers come to those meetings and we share our research with them.

Shrimp News: Have you done any work with shrimp?

Sergio Nates: Yes, we have done some work with Pacific white shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, and the giant tiger shrimp, P. monodon. Research reports on our work with shrimp can be found at our website (www.fprf.org).

Shrimp News: How much of the fish meal can you replace with rendered products?

Sergio Nates: I think you can replace 100 percent of the fish meal with animal products as long as you know how to formulate the feeds with the correct nutritional profile for shrimp.

Shrimp News: What’s the availability of rendered products? Are they available worldwide?

Germán Dávalos: Yes, a wide variety of high-quality, rendered products exists worldwide. Poultry meal, made from viscera, heads and necks, ranges from 55 to 62 percent protein; ruminant meals (cows, sheep, goats), from 40 to 45 percent protein.

Shrimp News: Why has it taken so long for shrimp feed manufacturers to begin using rendered products?

Germán Dávalos: Actually, shrimp feed manufacturers have been using rendered products for years, but because fish meal has been relatively inexpensive in Latin America and because it’s produced in Chile, Peru and even Ecuador, they really didn’t need rendered products from the USA. Now, with the ever-increasing price differential between fish meal and rendered byproducts, they are buying more rendered products in Latin America.

Shrimp News: Sergio, I’ve heard that the quality of rendered products has improved tremendously over the last ten or fifteen years. Is that true?

Sergio Nates: Yes. What has made the product so much better? One thing is technology. The industry has gotten better at what it does because of technology. Things like mad cow disease and the new regulations that it brought have made the product better, cleaner and more consistent. The renderers have a lot of pride in the quality and safety of their products. They know that if they make a mistake with one of their ingredients, they pay a very high price. The recent pet food scare with melamine is a good example of that. If you look at the nutritional profiles of poultry meals from fifty years ago, today’s product is much more consistent and much higher in quality.

Albert Tacon: It’s like fish meal in the old days when it was flame dried and very inconsistent. If you make a better product, you get a better price for it.

Shrimp News: Who in the shrimp feed industry is using rendered products?

Germán Dávalos: Most of the shrimp feed producers in the Western Hemisphere are using rendered products.

Shrimp News: What percentage of rendered products are they using in shrimp feeds?

Germán Dávalos: I can’t tell you that because it’s confidential. The feed producers are not required to tell how much of rendered products are used in their feeds. Producers have to list the ingredients of their feeds, but they do not have to list the percentage of each ingredient.

Albert Tacon: I would say that rendered products make up from 5% to 45% of shrimp diets. It’s the largest source of animal protein on the planet because we eat only 55% of our meat products; the remaining 45% gets rendered. Thirty million pounds of rendered products are produced every year, while only 6 million pounds of fish meal are produced. Rendered products are highly regulated by the USA Food and Drug Administration; the product is very good and very safe. Fish meal is a beautiful product because it contains every thing that shrimp and fish require, but fish and shrimp don’t have a requirement for fish meal, or soybeans or meat products, they have a requirement for certain essential nutrients and most of those nutrients can be found in rendered products. Ten or fifteen years ago the product was very erratic. Now our products are standardized, regulated and of the very highest quality. The nutrients are worth a lot of money.

Shrimp News: Give me an estimate. If rendered byproducts replaced most of the fish meal in shrimp diets, how much money would feed manufacturers save?

Sergio Nates: If they did a one-to-one replacement—rendered byproducts for fish meal—they would save a significant percentage of the cost of protein content in their feeds.

Albert Tacon: Shrimp farmers are getting less for their shrimp, while facing increasing feed prices, caused by the increasing cost of fish meal.

Sergio Nates: There’s a limited supply of rendered byproducts. The pet food industry, the swine industry, the poultry industry, they all compete for rendered byproducts. Nonetheless, rendered byproducts offer the best option for the shrimp feed manufacturer who wants to cut his costs without sacrificing quality.

Shrimp News: Germán, what have I forgotten to ask. Would you like to add anything?

Germán Dávalos: Yes. The National Renderers Association conducts seminars to explain and promote its products. We provide technical assistance to feed mills that want to try our products, and we provide free experts to help feed mills introduce our products. We hire international consultants like Albert Tacon to help us carry our message to shrimp feed manufacturers.

Shrimp News: Albert, same question. What have I forgotten to ask, and what would you like to add?

Albert Tacon: Rendered products have been around a long time, but they have gotten a lot better in the last decade. They offer a great option for the shrimp feed manufacturer. I began working on rendered products in the early 1990s and got good results with fish. Everything that I have ever published on fish feeds in the last thirty years has mentioned rendered products, and now they are being widely accepted. However slight, rendered byproducts also reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks.

Shrimp News: Sergio, anything you would like to add?

Sergio Nates: My job is to promote rendered byproducts and to fund research on their use and development. We are open to proposals from anybody. All our research is in the public domain and you can download it from our webpage.

Information: Germán Dávalos, National Renderers Association, Inc., Sierra Candela 111, Despacho 501, Lomas de Chapultepec, 11000 Mexico, D.F. (phone 52-55-5980-6080, fax 52-55-5980-6081, email nramex@nralatinamerica.org).

Information: Dr. Albert Tacon, Aquatic Farms, 49-139 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744 USA (phone 808-239-2929, fax 808-239-8436, email atacon@hawaii.rr.com).

Information: Dr. Sergio Nates, Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, Inc., 801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 205, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA (phone 703-683-2914, fax 703-683-2626, email snates@nationalrenderers.com, webpage www.fprf.org).

Information: Manuel Alzamora, Conference Manager, The 8th International Shrimp Culture Symposium and Trade Show, Grupo de Ferias, Congresos y Eventos, S.A. (phone 507-236-7845, fax 507-236-6652, email camaron@gfce.org, webpage gfce.org/camaron2007).

References: Essential Rendering, a book published by The National Renderers Association in September 2006.

Source: Germán Dávalos Albert Tacon and Sergio Nates, interview by Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International. León, Nicaragua. May 4, 2007.

El Niño and La Niña

The New ENSO Intensity Scale

The Associated Press reports: Hurricanes and tornadoes have popular rating scales that help people understand their power. Now, weather experts at the USA Climate Prediction Center are planning a way to measure the El Niño phenomena, known as “ENSO”, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation.

The ratings are tentatively expected to begin in fall 2007, according to Wayne Higgins, director of the federal Climate Prediction Center. He said forecasters are also planning “watches” and “advisories”. A watch would be issued when conditions are right for potential development of an El Niño or La Niña within three to six months. An advisory would mean the condition was under way. “We realized that there was a need for something where we could provide users a heads-up on watches for El Niño and La Niña,” said Higgins. The strength of an El Niño or La Niña varies with the warmth or coolness of the tropical Pacific sea surface. The new ENSO Intensity Scale will be based on a three-month temperature index that varies from W1 to W5 for warm episodes and from C1 to C5 for cool episodes. It will allow climate researchers to develop comparisons with past ENSOs.

El Niño conditions during the 2006 summer are believed to have moderated what many expected to be a severe hurricane season in the Atlantic. In general, El Niño contributes to more eastern Pacific hurricanes and fewer Atlantic hurricanes while La Niña contributes to fewer eastern Pacific hurricanes and more Atlantic hurricanes.

The ENSO status report issued by the Climate Prediction Center on July 9, 2007, says conditions are currently neutral, but there is a possibility of a change to La Niña within one to three months.

What to Expect from La Niña

• Wetter than normal conditions over southeastern Africa and northern Brazil during the northern hemisphere winter season.

• During the northern summer season, the Indian monsoon rainfall tends to be greater than normal, especially in northwest India.

• Drier than normal conditions along the west coast of tropical South America, and at subtropical latitudes of North America such as the Gulf Coast, and South America from southern Brazil to central Argentina.

• Colder than normal air over Alaska and western Canada, which often penetrates into the northern Great Plains and the western United States. The southeastern United States, on the other hand, becomes warmer and drier than normal.

• Decreased rainfall in the tropical Pacific in winter and spring, while rain increases over Indonesia, Malaysia and northern Australia and over the Philippines in summer.

What to Expect from El Niño

• Added rainfall in the normally arid coastal regions of Ecuador and Peru.

• Increased winter cloudiness and rainfall in the tropical Pacific but reduced rain in Indonesia, Malaysia and northern Australia.

• Drier than normal conditions over southeastern Africa and northern Brazil during the northern winter season.

• During the northern summer season, Indian monsoon rainfall below normal, especially in northwest India where crops are adversely affected.

• Wetter than normal conditions along the west coast of tropical South America and at subtropical latitudes of North America, like the Gulf Coast, and South America from southern Brazil to central Argentina.

Storms also tend to be more vigorous in the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeast coast of the United States resulting in wetter than normal conditions in that region.

Source: SFGate.com. Ratings Proposed for El Niño (cgi?f=/n/a/2007/07/12/national/w110703D36.DTL#sections). From the Associated Press, science writer Randolph E. Schmid. July 12, 2007.

Country Reports

Bahamas

Farm Equipment Stolen

Freeport...In other news, a 27-year-old male, a resident of Drake Avenue, is in police custody in connection with an incident of theft at the Bahamas Shrimp Company.

Reports indicate that at around 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 13, 2007, Sophia Thompson, manager of Bahamas Shrimp Company, reported to the Central Detective Unit that sometime during the week of July 8-13, 2007, some person or persons unlawfully entered the premises of the shrimp farm, situated at Queen’s Cove in the North Airport Zone, and stole several items.

Listed among the missing items were 24 stainless steel pontoons, one stainless steel water purification system, one fiberglass dinghy boat with a trolling motor attached, and a quantity of electrical wire. The total value of the missing goods was estimated at $79,500.

Source: The Freeport News. Illegal ammunition discovery leads to arrest of female Bahamia resident (http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/296883436699036.php). K. Nancoo-Russell. July 16, 2007.

Belize

Aquamats and Aeration Equipment For Sale

We have some new “Aquamats” (artificial substrates that are suspended in ponds) and oxygen generators that are not in use at our farm, Aqua Mar Belize, Ltd. Financing can be arranged.

Information: Linda Thornton (lact052657@yahoo.com).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, “shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com”). Subject: [shrimp] aquamats and oxygen generators for sale. From: lact052657@yahoo.com. July 16, 2007.

Brazil

Ceará

From June 2006 to June 2007, shrimp exports from the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará dropped by 60 percent. The shrimp industry is facing internal problems that call for greater organization within the production sector.

Source: ANBA.com. Exports from state of Ceará fell in June, but increased during the year (http://www.anba.com.br/ingles/noticia.php?id=15342). Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum. July 17, 2007.

China

Becoming a Net Importer of Shrimp!

China may soon be a net importer of shrimp! More than 80 percent of the Penaeus vannamei produced in China is consumed domestically. Imports of shrimp are on the rise, and market analysts predict the trend will continue in the years ahead.

Production of P. vannamei started to take off in 2000, and now 90 percent of the shrimp farms culture it. Annual production is approaching a million metric tons a year, with just over 800,000 tons consumed by the domestic market.

Source: The FishSite. Rising domestic consumption pulls in shrimp (http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/4737/rising-domestic-consumption-pulls-in-shrimp). July 18, 2007.

China

One Part Per Trillion Zillion

Samir Kuri reports on the Shrimp List:

The USA Food and Drug Administration has a zero-tolerance policy on antibiotics, meaning that one part per trillion is enough to stop a shipment of shrimp.

A 2006 article in Food Safety helps put into perspective the measurements of one part per million, one part per billion and one part per trillion:

In terms of length, if 1 inch represents 1 ppm, then the distance we are considering is 16 miles. When we look at 1 part per billion, we are measuring 1 inch in 16,000 miles. At one par per trillion, the comparison is between an inch and 16 million miles.

In terms of time, it is the difference between 1 minute in 2 years versus 1 second in 320 centuries when comparing ppm and ppt.

Finally, if we want to fix ourselves a very dry martini at the parts per trillion level, we need only to add one drop of vermouth to a pool of gin that covers the area of a football field and is 43 feet deep. Source: Testing: Chasing Zero in Chemical Contaminant Analysis, by Jonathan W. DeVries, Ph.D., in Food Safety Magazine, August/September 2006 (http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/article.asp?id=536&sub=sub1#DeVries).

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers, “shrimp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com”). Subject: Re: [shrimp] News = The China Syndrome. From: sk270965@yahoo.com. July 16, 2007.

India

MPEDA to Introduce Specific Pathogen Free Shrimp in 2009

In 2005, the growing need for shrimp broodstock prompted the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA, which promotes fisheries and aquaculture in India) to develop specific pathogen free shrimp on the Andaman Islands (1,300 kilometers east of Chennai in the Bay of Bengal, closer to Thailand than India). The $5 million project will be spread over five years.

It started with eleven pairs of disease-free, wild animals (Penaeus monodon). The first generation of their progeny resulted in eight second-generation families that are now ready to breed. Their progeny will be ready to breed at the end of 2009.

G. Mohankumar, MPEDA chairman, says, “By the end of 2009, hopefully, we should be able to supply pathogen-free broodstock to the aquaculture farmers who in turn can use them in their farms. The target is around 10,000 broodstock.”

The stock is counter checked in consultation with the Hawaii-based Aquatic Farms, Ltd.

Source: The FishSite. MPEDA to introduce pathogen-free shrimp (http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/4718/mpeda-to-introduce-pathogenfree-shrimp). July 16, 2007.

Pakistan

New Species of Freshwater Prawn

A new species of prawn measuring 300 millimeters and weighing approximately 250 grams has been found in the Indus Delta Districts of Thatta and Badin.

Ministry of Fisheries officials said annual production of the new prawn, which sells for $4.14 a kilo locally and $14.85 in Karachi, totaled 100 tons.

Experts said female prawns were seen with eggs between April and October. A 170 mm female prawn might lay 50,000 eggs. The eggs hatch within a few days, and the larvae travel to Kotri Barrage, a lake on the Indus River near Hyderabad.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). New shrimp species found in Indus Delta. Ken Coons (phone 781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com). Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). July 17, 2007.

South Africa

Billion Dollar Project to Begin

The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) reports that a billion dollar shrimp farming project in Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape Province) will begin construction in the third quarter of 2007—if it gets its environmental permits.

CDC marketing and communications manager Vuyelwa Qinga-Vika says a pilot project is nearing completion and planning for the full project is being finalized. “The CDC and the project team are now negotiating the roll out of the full project,” he said. The project may create 4,500 direct jobs.

About 20 people are involved in the pilot project, which involves a high-tech shrimp farming facility using state-of-the-art technology developed in the USA and now proven to be successful in South Africa. The technology was developed by leading fish farming experts in the USA and tested somewhere in the Caribbean.

SeaArk Africa, a joint venture between SeaArk Holdings Incorporated of the USA, and Bosasa, a diversified, broad-based black economic-empowerment group of companies that provides management services, is driving the project.

Source: Engineering News. Mariculture/R7bn prawn pilot project at the Coega IDZ (http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article.php?a_id=108204). Dennis Ndaba. May 11, 2007.

United States

Louisiana—Whitespot and Crawfish

Several crawfish ponds were quarantined during the spring of 2007 after the whitespot virus was found in St. Martin Parish and Vermilion Parish ponds.

So far, more than half of the 135 Louisiana crawfish ponds tested for whitespot syndrome virus have come up positive, according to Ray McClain, a crawfish researcher at the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station, who said, “This means it’s much more widespread than anyone thought.” The virus has been detected in more than 88 samples. But McClain said fewer than 10 ponds reported mortalities. Whitespot has also been found in three of nine crawfish sampled from the Atchafalaya Basin.

In addition, McClain said, crawfish tissue samples at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine from two years ago tested positive. “It looks as if it’s been around a while,” McClain said. “It does not appear to be as devastating in crawfish farms as it was in shrimp farms.” A crawfish pond where the virus was found earlier this year appears to have recovered somewhat, he said.

McClain said the virus was detected recently in crawfish from North Carolina, where farmers keep the them in large holding tanks before they are sold. He said the virus was also found in crabs and shrimp along the South Atlantic coast.

Source: Delta Farm Press. Crawfish virus widespread (http://deltafarmpress.com/news/070716-crawfish-virus/). July 16, 2007.

United States

Nevada—Ganix Biotechnologies, Inc.

During the first Pahrump Regional Planning Commission meeting since approval of the official zoning map, confusion resulted over the grandfather clause and permitted uses in different zones.

Beau Dempsey, director of operations for Ganix Biotechnologies, Inc., wanted to locate a shrimp farm in a 50,000-square-foot accessory building on Oakridge Avenue just south of Manse Road, which he thought was permitted in a rural homestead 4.5 district.

Nye County Planning Director Jack Lohman said that’s a residential zone that allows limited farming. The allowance for an accessory building was meant for residences, he said. “This is, in a sense, essentially a new area of agriculture. If you had a house on that property and you were going to grow corn or alfalfa and something we could all see, you’re perfectly in your right to do that,” RPC Chairman Mark Kimball said. “Doing some processing of product, you’re changing the definition.”

[This report did not indicate whether or not the project received a permit.]

Source: Pahrump Valley Times. New zoning era creates confusion for RPC (http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/Jul-13-Fri-2007/news/15468940.html). Mark Waite. July 13, 2007.

United States

New Jersey—Freshwater Prawns

The New Brunswick Steak Company, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is pleased and proud to announce that it’s selling farm-raised, freshwater shrimp from Vietnam at its website. For more information about freshwater shrimp, special gift packages, or other products from the New Brunswick Steak Company, go to www.newbrunswicksteakco.com or phone 908-307-3608.

Source: ClickPress. New Brunswick Steak Co. Announces Freshwater Shrimp Now Available For Summer Cooking (http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/40467005cp.shtml). July 17, 2007.

United States

New Mexico

Happy News.com reports:

Matt Thomas, a 9th grader in Peralta, New Mexico, asks: We peeled and cleaned some dark blue-gray shrimp. When we steamed them, they turned bright orange. What chemical reaction causes this?

The Internet to the rescue. In a flash I contact two chemists from the west coast: Anne Gardiner and Sue Wilson, who teach a course on cooking chemistry at the University of British Columbia. Gardiner and Wilson explain that lobster, shrimp and crab shells have two colors: blackish and orange-pink. Crustaceans look blackish while alive because the orange-pink color exists but is hidden. The blackish color is due to protein chains. The orange-pink color is a pigment, similar to the one in carrots. The protein chains hide the orange-pink molecules by wrapping around and containing them. Therefore the shell looks blackish. What happens if you steam them? The protein chains undergo a chemical change when heated: they uncoil and release the orange-pink molecules. The orange color is no longer hidden, and the shell turns orangish-pink.

Surfing the Internet to the East Coast, I encounter a professor of biosystems and engineering at the University of Maine. “It’s a lot like leaves turning color,” says Bob Bayer. “The red was there but hiding.”

I surf on until I find this gem from Rebecca Jollensten, a web designer and lobster lover. Why do lobsters turn red?

“Embarrassment. Pure and simple.”

Source: HappyNews.com. Secret Colors in Lobsters and Shrimp (http://www.happynews.com/news/7122007/secret-colors-lobsters-shrimp.htm). July 16, 2007.

United States

South Carolina—Brine Shrimp as a Source of Oil

Dr. David Brune, a Clemson University biosystems engineer, is developing commercial-scale production methods for brine shrimp. Brune says, “The primary reason for the brine shrimp culture is to develop improved processes for economical harvest, concentration and conversion of microalgal biomass into higher value bioproducts...potentially, oil for biodiesel production.”

Information: David Brune, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Clemson University, 225 McAdams Hall, Box 340357, Clemson, South Carolina 29634 USA (phone 864-656-4068, fax 864-656-0338, email debrune@clemson.edu, webpages http://www.clemson.edu/agbioeng/agmech/brune.htm, http://www.clemson.edu/agbioeng/bio/brune.htm and http://www.clemson.edu/bio/profiles/brune.htm).

Sources: 1. The Post and Courier. S.C. has resources to offset oil imports (http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/jul/12/sc_has_resources_offset_oil_imports/). John Kelly and Nicholas Rigas. July 12, 2007. 2. Email from David Brune. Subject: Re: From Shrimp News = Brine Shrimp Oil? July 22, 2007.

United States

Texas—Far West: “Shrimp Are Growing Well”

On July 18, 2007, agriculture extension officials from throughout Texas reported on crop conditions. This snippet appeared in the Far West report: “...Shrimp are growing well.”

Source: AgNews. Texas Crop, Weather Report (http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/CROP/Jul1807a.htm). Lorri Jones (phone 281-855-5620, email ljones@ag.tamu.edu). July 18, 2007. Information: Wayne Thompson, Texas Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in Harris County (phone 281-855-5600, email whthompson@ag.tamu.edu).

Vietnam

Exporters Use Fake Codes to Export Shrimp to Japan

In order to cope with the strict control by Japanese authorities over Vietnam’s seafood exports, several Vietnamese seafood companies have tried to export their products under borrowed codes. [“Borrowed codes” was not defined in the article. It might mean using codes/permits for other species, or borrowing codes/permits from other companies.]

Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Deputy Head of the National Fisheries Quality and Veterinary Directorate, said, “It is very risky. The Ministry of Fisheries will prohibit the borrowing of codes,” he said.

Source: Vietnam New Bridge. Warning: seafood companies exporting on borrowed codes (http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2007/07/719365/). H. Phuong. July 17, 2007.

Vietnam

Will Check All Shrimp Exports to Japan

Effective July 26, 2007, shrimp exporters must meet new standards on food hygiene set by the Ministry of Fisheries if they want to export shrimp to Japan.

All shrimp exports will be tested for prohibited antibiotic residues before export.

Exporters that have had three or more shipments rejected will not be allowed to export shrimp to Japan until they get Ministry of Fisheries approval and a permit from the National Fisheries Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate on Food Hygiene.

Exporters that pass ten consecutive tests will be exempt from 100% testing.

The government has required that seafood processing companies keep records on the shrimp as it moves through their plants. The source of the shrimp will appear on the finished product.

Source: Vietnam Net Bridge. VN tightens seafood exports to Japan (http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2007/07/717837/). Ha Yen. July 13, 2007.