USA Government May Let
Third-Parties Certify Shrimp

On July 9, 2008, the Aquaculture Certification Council, which certifies, hatcheries, farms, feed mills and processing plants, reported:

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) latest effort to ensure the safety of imported food will begin with a pilot program that allows third-party certification of farm-raised shrimp, according to USA Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who made the announcement during an import safety summit taking place in Washington, DC.

“We have a good system for product safety, but it is not adequate for the future,” Secretary Leavitt said.  “We can’t inspect our way to product safety.”

The two-phase program will begin by training FDA staff on the details of best aquaculture practices and then transition into actual evaluations of the systems in the field.  The plan is designed to complement and multiply efforts already underway rather than to replace government inspections altogether.

“This is a terrific first step by the FDA that can help ensure not only that imported aquacultured shrimp meets our food safety guidelines, but that global producers are operating in a social and environmentally responsible way,” said ACC President Jim Heerin.  “ACC is uniquely positioned to partner with the shrimp industry.  We welcome the opportunity to work with the FDA and helping them to meet their import safety goals.”

The program will begin with federal regulators examining which certification programs to consider.  Field evaluations would begin as early as December 2008.

Information: James Heerin, Aquaculture Certification Council, 12815 72nd Avenue, Kirkland, Washington 98034 USA (phone 770-335-5401, webpage http://www.aquaculturecertification.org).

Global Aquaculture Alliance Applauds FDA’s Move

On July 9, 2008, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), an international, nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture, applauded the USA Food and Drug Administration’s decision to launch a pilot program to test third-party certification of shrimp farms.

GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens said GAA will submit its Best Aquaculture Practices certification program for consideration as one of the pilots to be evaluated.

“We were excited to learn from Secretary Leavitt that the Department of Health and Human Services has chosen aquaculture and specifically shrimp to test its new plans for third-party certification,” Stevens said.

The BAP program is based on an independent audit of shrimp hatcheries, farms, feed mills and processing plants.  It focuses on food safety, environmental integrity, social responsibility and animal welfare—and incorporates full traceability of the final product “from pond to plate”.

Information: George Chamberlain, Global Aquaculture Alliance, 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A, St. Louis, Missouri 63129 USA (phone 314-293-5500, fax 314-293-5525, email georgec@gaalliance.org, webpage http://www.gaalliance.org).

Sources: 1. Aquaculture Certification Council.  News Release.  Import Safety Certification to Start with Farmed Shrimp.  July 9, 2008.  2. Global Aquaculture Alliance. News Release.  Global Aquaculture Alliance Welcomes FDA Shrimp Farm Certification Pilot Testing.  July 9, 2008.

Country Reports

China

Shipping Live Shrimp Without Water

This discussion took place on the Shrimp List:

Todd Blacher (toddblacher1@yahoo.com, Virginia Shrimp Farms): Has anyone had success shipping live shrimp without water?

In China, I saw live shrimp shipped in plastic bags that were filled with pure oxygen and placed in a styrofoam box with crushed ice.  The shrimp were stage chilled to an unknown (to me) temperature (but I think somewhere between 5° and 10° C).  They didn’t put wet paper or anything in the bag with the shrimp, just oxygen.  From the shrimp farms, the boxes were flown by air to Shanghai and Beijing, a trip of about five hours, or so, but the total transportation time consumed from ten to twelve hours.  When the shrimp arrived at markets and restaurants, they were dumped directly into aquariums, and they popped back to life, with survivals of 80-90%.

I may try this, but first I want to see if anyone has all the specifications for the above procedure, so I can save some trial-and-error time.

Steve Dolarakis (s_dollars@yahoo.com): Depends on what kind of shrimp you’re going to ship.  My experience with kuruma shrimp, Penaeus japonicus, is that the buggers are hard to kill while shipping!  I’ve had kuruma shipped to me from Hawaii, France and elsewhere, packed in sawdust or just put in a styrofoam box with nothing but a frozen 1/2 liter water bottle.

I had a technician on my farm who was very experienced with P. vannamei tell me that he would never even consider doing something like this with any other penaeid.

Dallas Weaver (deweaver@scientifichatcheries.com): I ran across some research on the impacts of hydrogen sulfide on mice and some other species that might have some relevancy to the shipment of live shrimp.  In these studies, low levels (less that lethal) of hydrogen sulfide reduced the animal’s metabolism rate enough so that you could then cool them down and put them in to a state of suspended animation.

I once did some experiments on zebra fish embryos with hydrogen sulfide and was able to put them into a suspended state with zero oxygen for 24 hours by just keeping them wet.

Someone needs to do experiments with vannamei using low levels of hydrogen sulfide in the pretreatment water.  By shutting down their metabolism with hydrogen sulfide before cooling them down, you may be able to ship them dry.  If someone does these experiments, please share the results with The Shrimp List.

Source: The Shrimp List (a mailing list for shrimp farmers).  Subject: Live shipping without water.  June 25-27, 2008.

Colombia

CI Oceanos and Cartagenera Shrimp

Shrimp farming got started in Colombia in the early 1980s, and in 2007 the industry produced more than 25,000 metric tons.  Sara Patricia Bonilla, executive vice-president of Acuanal, Colombia’s national aquaculture association, believes Colombia’s shrimp production will rise to between 27,000 and 28,000 tons in 2008.  Colombia ships 85% of its farmed shrimp to Spain, France and the UK and 15% to the USA.

The country’s two largest shrimp farms, CI Oceanos and Cartagenera Shrimp, have hatcheries, farms, processing plants and international marketing operations.

Claudia Lequerica Segovia of Cartagena-based Oceanos said that when the farm introduced aeration equipment two years ago, her production really jumped.  “We have the space to produce a bit more vannamei, but we will never be a huge producer as that sort of land is not available,” said Segovia.  “The aeration helped us produce more without increasing the size of our farms.”

Started in 1983, Oceanos currently has 1,000 hectares of ponds, produces 10,500 tons of shrimp a year and exports 95% of it, mostly to Europe, primarily Spain and France.

The other Colombian farm, family-run Cartagenera, also started operations in 1983.  Since then, it has introduced the “Cartaqua” brand throughout the Western Hemisphere.  Its 800-hectare, semi-intensive shrimp farm was among the first established in Colombia.  Like Oceanos, it’s located close to the colonial city of Cartagena, on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast.

Cartagena Shrimp Company, the marketing arm of Cartagenera, is a supplier to Young’s, the biggest seafood supplier in the United Kingdom.  In 2008, it expects to produce 10,000 tons of vannamei and to export 70-80% of it to Europe.

Cartagenera was one of the first companies in the world to be approved by Bureau Veritas (BV), a leading global certifier, as a producer of a fully traceable product.  Since it’s an integrated farm (hatcheries, ponds, processing and international marketing), Cartagenera can track its shrimp from the hatchery to the processing plant.  It can tell you which pond they were grown in and what they ate.  Cartagenera is audited by BV every two years—an expensive undertaking, but one that has paid dividends as it allows the company’s clients to see every detail about the shrimp they buy.

The biggest problem facing the Colombian shrimp farming industry is the increase in the value of the peso, which has jumped more than 20% against the dollar in the last 12 months.  It is now trading at its highest level in nine years.  “We’re not really expanding as we could because of the currency problems,” said Acuanal’s Bonilla.

Source: Fish Farming International.  Editor, Kenny McCaffrey (kenny.mccaffrey@informa.com).  Colombians remain strong despite peso.  Jason Holland.  Volume 35, Number 6, Page 20, June 2008.

New Caledonia

Status of Shrimp Farming

The western blue shrimp, Penaeus stylirostris,is the only species farmed in New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean with 240,000 inhabitants.  The industry has 640 hectares of ponds that produce 2,200 metric tons of shrimp a year, mainly for export.  Shrimp farming is New Caledonia’s leading agricultural activity and its second-largest source of export income, worth $32 million in 2006.

New Caledonia has four hatcheries, 17 farms, two processing plants and two feed mills.  Eighty percent of the farmers are members of the producer association.  They work semi-intensive, earthen ponds in the salt marshes between the mangroves and higher ground.

In contrast to some other shrimp production regions around the world, New Caledonia benefits from an exceptionally healthy sanitary status with no pathogenic viruses.  This status is partly supported by its geographical isolation, but also by avoiding the use of wild shrimp and rigorous enforcement of border protection measures.

Source: The Global Aquaculture Advocate.  Editor, Darryl Jory (dejry2525@aol.com).  Health Management/Health Measures Effective for New Caledonia’s Shrimp Farms.  Isabelle Mermoud (inc.davar@gouv.nc) and Denise Desoutter (Government of New Caledonia, Department of Veterinary, Food and Rural Affairs, Official Laboratory of Veterinary, Food and Phytopathology of New Caledonia, Station Zootechnique de Port-Laguerre, B.P.42, Paita 98 890, New Caledonia).  Volume 11, Issue 3, Page 40, May/June 2008.

Thailand

Shrimp Farmers Want to Give Monodon Another Try

Thai shrimp farmers have asked the government for support to revive black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) farming, claiming that giant tigers produce a more sustainable income than western white shrimp (P. vannamei).

In 2002, giant tigers accounted for more than 85 percent of Thailand’s total shrimp export volume.  In 2007, that number dropped to 6.7 percent, only 23,934 metric tons.

Thailand’s success in raising white shrimp has led to overproduction and a nosedive in shrimp prices.  Some small farms and hatcheries have been forced out of business, and some Thais have gone to work for hatcheries in Bangladesh, where black tigers are the dominant species.

Poj Aramwattananont, president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said that its fisheries department is devising a plan to balance the production of the two shrimp species with the goal of increasing the production of black tiger shrimp production to 30 percent of total production in the next five years.

Source: SeafoodSource.com.  Thai Shrimpers Seek Black Tiger Revival.  June 25, 2008.

Thailand

Processors Set Prices

The Thai Frozen Foods Association has announced that it will establish weekly prices for shrimp based on farm production costs and export prices.  It will announce the prices every Monday.  Poj Aramwattananont, president of the association, said food processors and cold-storage operators could use the prices to buy shrimp from farmers nationwide.

“In the past, we’ve allowed parties not in the business to meddle with the industry.  But now I want processors to work closely with farmers to set our own prices in order to stabilize shrimp prices in the long term,” Poj said at a meeting with farmers and cold-storage operators from the upper southern provinces.

For the first week, a price of $3.59 has been set for fifty count per kilometer whole shrimp.

Source: RedOrbit.com.  Processors to Set Own Prices: Shrimp Body Disagrees With Pledging Scheme.  Walailak Keeratipipatpong (Bangkok Post, Thailand).  June 19, 2008.

United States

Hawaii—Whitespot

The two commercial shrimp operations on the island of Molokai have been relatively unaffected by the recent quarantine at the Limaloa shrimp farm on the island of Kauai that was hit with the whitespot virus.

On Molokai, John Austin, who co-owns a farm with partner Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom, is looking to get his shrimp hatchery up and running in a matter of weeks.  Austin said he would be getting his postlarvae from the Oceanic Institute and Molokai Sea Farms.

Steve Chaikin, who runs Molokai Sea Farms, a shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) broodstock supplier, said that the Kauai quarantine did not have any affect on his farm.  “We have a self-contained farm and so have a disease free status.  We have to undergo regular stringent procedures and protocols as we export to over 20 countries.”

Jim Foppoli, the state veterinarian, said that the clean up is well underway at the Limaloa farm on Kauai, which is owned by Sun Rise Capital [Kona Bay Marine Resources, Inc.].  The ponds have been depopulated and will be disinfected with chlorine.  After a 30-day dry out period, around 500 shrimp will be stocked, grown out, harvested and tested to see if they are disease free.  When the virus hit the Limaloa farm, it had only four ponds in operation.

Researchers at Arizona State University are attempting to determine if the strain of whitespot virus that hit the Limaloa farm is the same as the one that hit it in 2004.

Source: The Molokai Times.  Kauai shrimp farm quarantine has little affect on local farmers.  Sav D’Souza.  July 9, 2008.

United States

Hawaii—Moana Technologies

Moana Technologies, LLC, is a Penaeus monodon breeding company focused on producing specific pathogen free (SPF) black tiger shrimp at its Moana nucleus breeding center in Hawaii.  Beginning in 2001, over 1,500 broodstock were brought to Hawaii from Asia and Africa and went through a rigorous quarantine process to establish Moana’s breeding population.  The breeding population is now specific pathogen free for IHHNV, WSSV, MBV, HPV, SMV, YHV, GAV, TSV, MoV and LSNV.

Information: John Cooksey, World Aquaculture Conference Management, P.O. Box 2302, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA (phone 760-751-5005, fax 760-751-5003, email worldaqua@aol.com, webpage http://www.was.org).

Source: World Aquaculture Society.  The CD of World Aquaculture 2008 (Busan, South Korea, May 2008).  Page 30.  Field Testing of Family Performance in the Moana P. monodon Genetic Improvement Program.  Brad Argue (b.argue@moanatech.com), John A.H. Benzie and James Brock (Moana Technologies LLC, 73-4460 Queen Kaahumanu Highway #121, Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740 USA).

United States

Missouri—Global Aquaculture Alliance

On April 25, 2008, during a conference on sustainable shrimp hosted by the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain in England, Daniel Lee, GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices Standards Coordinator, outlined the BAP program’s sustainability solutions for aquafeed ingredients.

Lee said that the BAP farm standards require shrimp and fish producers to accurately monitor feed inputs and minimize the use of fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild fisheries.  The standards for feed mills, which will be available for public comment later this year, encourage feed manufacturers to source marine-based ingredients from sustainable fisheries.

Sainsbury’s wants to sell seafood that has not been fed genetically modified (GM) ingredients—a potentially expensive challenge for producers.  Lee said that although the BAP program currently has no plans to exclude GM feed ingredients, BAP could provide the traceability needed to track non-GM feed from mills to farms and from farms through processors to retailers.

Information: Global Aquaculture Alliance, 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A, St. Louis, MO 63129 USA (phone 314-293-5500, fax 314-293-5525, email homeoffice@gaalliance.org, website http://www.gaalliance.org).

Source: Email to Shrimp News International from the Global Aquaculture Alliance.  Best Aquaculture Practices News (“Wholesome Seafood Responsibly Produced”).  Subject: BAP News—June 24, 2008/Lee Presents BAP Fishmeal Solutions at Sainsbury’s Conference.  June 24, 2008.

Vietnam

CP Cutting Back on Investments, but Not on Shrimp Investments

Concerns over Vietnam’s steep inflation and unfavorable economic prospects have prompted the Charoen Pokphand Group, Thailand’s largest agribusiness, to put on hold investment plans worth $1.2 billion in Vietnam.  But CP remains committed to going ahead with investment worth over $100 million in the agribusiness sector, including a shrimp hatchery along the central coast.

Source: The Bangkok Post.  CP puts on hold $1.2bn plans in Vietnam.  Phusadee Arunmas.  July 2, 2008.

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