Free News October 6, 2006

Through more than thirty operating companies and five research and development labs, INVE, a Belgium-based, family-owned company, supplies feed additives and nutrition solutions to meat producers around the world. It's also a leading supplier of shrimp hatchery feeds—and probiotics for shrimp feeds, hatcheries and ponds. INVE recently released the following information on the use of its probiotics in shrimp farming:

Live bacterial supplements--"Probiotics"--are used in shrimp farming to:

• Displace disease-causing bacteria with friendly bacteria

• Digest pond sediments

• Improve effluents

• Manage the overall microbial community in the pond

• Stimulate the shrimp's immune system

• Stimulate appetite and improve nutrition by producing vitamins, detoxifying poisonous compounds, and breaking down indigestible components in the diet

Bacillus strains of bacteria are appropriate for aquaculture for several reasons:

• Bacillus strains can be selected that perform the functions listed above.

• Bacillus is ubiquitous, found in soil, freshwater and seawater, and also in the gastrointestinal tracts of crustaceans, fish, terrestrial animals and humans.

• Bacillus can be produced at very high concentrations at a moderate cost compared to non-spore-forming bacteria. Spore formers are easy to transport and store (as spray-dried powders).

• They are easy to apply to the water or to the feed.

• The Bacillus genus is well studied and tools exist to evaluate human safety considerations.

INVE Research

The development of probiotic products is not simple. It requires empirical and fundamental research, full-scale trials, the development of appropriate monitoring tools, and then the final product must undergo stringent quality controls. In the last six years, INVE has developed, evaluated and commercialized selected Bacillus strains that improve the health of shrimp by controlling pathogens and improving water quality.

The performance of the water conditioner "Sanolife MIC" in shrimp larviculture has been reported at conferences such as LARVI '05 (http://www.inve.com/library/documents/_rd/aqua/2006/Probiotics_for_shrimp_larviculture.pdf) and the Asiaresist Workshop (http://www.medinfo.dist.unige.it/asiaresist/workshop.htm).

The performance of the Sanolife Bacillus strains, applied as a top dressing at the farm site or at the feed mill, has been evaluated in shrimp growout (Litopenaeus vannamei, L. stylirostris and Penaeus monodon) in Asia, the Pacific region and Latin America. Storage tests with shrimp feed that has been coated with the Sanolife Bacillus spores indicate that the concentration of viable spores remains above specifications for a period of 6 months (when stored at temperatures ranging from -4°C to +30°C in the dark).

The application of these bacteria in association with suitable pond management led to marked benefit to the farmers:

1. Growth: Scientists at IFREMER showed, in a controlled experiment with replicates, that there was a very significant increase in growth rate when the Sanolife Bacillus was mixed with pellets shortly before feeding shrimp. Similar improvements in growth rates were recorded with L. vannamei under commercial conditions in Ecuador and Brazil.

2. Survival: The application of the Sanolife Bacillus led to an increased survival rate in all studied species. In a test carried out with L. vannamei in Ecuador (7 ponds, 96 hectares), the survival rate increased by 62%!

3. Feed Conversion Ratio: Improvement--vannamei 43%, stylirostris 8% and monodon 17%.

4. Larger Animals at Harvest: In a trial carried out in India with P. monodon (triplicate treatment with control ponds), the application of Sanolife Bacillus led to larger animals at harvest (25% of them were over 34 grams).

In all these trials, the net profit was far greater when the probiotics were used.

Information: Dr. Patrick Lavens, Business Development Manager, INVE Aquaculture Health, Oeverstraat 7, B-9200 Baasrode, Belgium (phone 32-52-33-13-20, fax 32-52-33-79-86, email p.lavens@inve.be, webpage http://www.inve.com).

Source: Email from Dr. Patrick Lavens. Selected Bacillus Strains as a Feed Additive for Aquaculture. Authors: O. Decamp, D.J.W. Moriarty and P. Lavens. Received September 22, 2006.

Country Reports

Australia
Job

Wild River Farmed Seafood operates a shrimp farm in Darwin, Northern Territory. It has a position open for someone to manage its shrimp and barramundi (a finfish) ponds. The candidate must have experience working with the giant tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon).

Information: Pond Manager, P.O. Box 3078, Palmerston 0831 NT, Australia (email sales@wildriver.com.au, webpage www.wildriver.com.au).

Source: FisheNews (an email supplement to Austasia Aquaculture magazine, www.austasiaaquaculture.com.au). Editor, Tim Walker (austasiaaquaculture@netspace.net.au). Employment Opportunity/Pond Manager. September 21, 2006.

Brazil
Eye of the Prawn

On September 21, Nikon announced the winners of its 2006 Small World Photomicrography Competition, a competition that celebrates the beauty and complexity of objects seen through the light microscope.

The top three images include Paul Appleton's image of a mouse colon, Raul Galzalez's image of an aquatic bacteria photographed next to a diatom, and Jens Ruchel's photomicrograph of an aquatic worm that lives in shallow coastal regions.

Eleventh prize went to Alex H. Griman from Alex Kawazaki Photography in São Paulo, Brazil, for his stereomicroscopy shot of the pupil of a freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium amazonicum). The winning images can be viewed at http://www.nikonsmallworld.com.

Sources: 1. Nikon's Small World (http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/index.php). September 25, 2006. 2. PRnewswire.com. Mouse Colon Takes Top Honors at Nikon's Small World (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-21-2006/0004437398&EDATE=). September 21, 2006.

Colombia
Production

In 2005, Colombia produced 19,020 metric tons of farmed shrimp from 3,200 hectares of ponds, almost all of them on the Atlantic Coast. Production has increased by 100% in the past five years and should continue to grow at a fast rate with the development of intensive and super-intensive production methods.

Colombia exports about 90% of its shrimp to the USA and EU (Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom) with a value in 2005 of $68 million. Initially exports were frozen whole shrimp, but now processors are producing a variety of value-added products.

Sara Patricia Bonilla, vice-president of the Colombian shrimp growers association (ACUANAL), says that a number of farms are investigating shrimp/tilapia polyculture. ACUANAL works with the Colombian research organization CENIACUA and some international organizations to increase the production of farmed shrimp.

The largest farming operation in Colombia is Cartagena Shrimp Company with an expected production of 9,000 metric tons in 2006. Cartagena farms 700 hectares, divided into 8.5-hectare ponds. Six ponds are reserved for broodstock and eight ponds are reserved for super-intensive production.

Each pond produces 2.6 crops a year, and the shrimp are harvested at around 120 days, when they weigh between 12 and 16 grams, after checks show that they are between molts. The farm employs 275 on site and around 900 at its processing facility.

Source: Fish Farming International (http://www.fishfarminginternational.com). Editor, Kenny McCaffrey (kenny.mccaffrey@informa.com). Colombian industry to grow. Nicki Holmyard. Volume 33, Number 9, Page 16, September 2006.

Indonesia
Fish Meal Imports Jump

Jakarta...In 2007, imports of fish meal, much of it used in shrimp feeds, are forecast to reach 850,000 tons, up 21% from an estimated 700,000 tons in 2006. Denny Indrajaya, chairman of the association of animal feed companies, said the country's shrimp farms would be expanded 15.8 percent annually to meet a production target of 540,000 tons in 2009, up from around 300,000 tons in 2005.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). Indonesia's imports of fish meal forecast to rise 21.4% on heavy demand from shrimp farms. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). September 20, 2006.

Philippines
Introducing Penaeus vannamei

The following commentary by Bernardo V. Lopez appeared next to the editorial page in Business World, the leading business newspaper in the Philippines.

Over the years, the invasion of the western white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) has brought 16 strains of deadly viruses into our waters, resulting in a dramatic decrease in national shrimp production from 90,000 tons a year to just 40,000 tons. This invasion was orchestrated by a more sinister invasion of Taiwanese pond operators. I call the attention of GMA [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Philippine President] and the DA-BFAR [Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources] to please look into this looming crisis.

The government appears helpless in stopping the rampant smuggling of white shrimp, mainly from Taiwan. The Tambuyog Development Center, a fisherfolk advocacy NGO, claims the smuggling is done "on a regular basis" at international gateways such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and at the Subic, Clark, Pampanga and Laoag international airports, implying that the smugglers and government officials are in cahoots.

The Taiwanese shrimp farmers are raking it in and raping our environment. Filipino entrepreneurs are learning from the Taiwanese and are starting to shift to the deadly white shrimp for fast cash. Tambuyog alleges that there's a white shrimp hatchery in Cebu and another in Zamboanga.

The key is for the DA and BFAR to have the political will to close the ponds that produce white shrimp. Why aren't they doing it? They know where these illegal ponds are. If they can't do it, the local government and the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] should help. The Taiwanese smugglers have a simple modus operandi. They apply for a milkfish import permit under Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 221 and use it to pick up white shrimp at the airport.

White shrimp production is actually banned by FAO 207, but BFAR reports that about 700 hectares of ponds are illegally culturing white shrimp in Bulacan, Pangasinan and Zambales, producing 3,450 metric tons, equivalent to 10% of total national annual production. These ponds should be publicly identified before any more shift to white shrimp. It is killing our lucrative native black tiger prawn production.

Unable to stop the smuggling and illegal culture of white shrimp, DA-BFAR is now perpetrating the crime. It is pushing for the lifting of its own ban and for legalized commercialization. If you can't lick them, join them. DA-BFAR, in fact, is now undertaking a white shrimp experiment to determine if certified disease-free strains can be cultured. BFAR reports that 33 farmers with an average of 10 hectares of shrimp farms each have already been accredited for the growout phase of the vannamei experiment. But this is illegal according to FAO 207. The ban on white shrimp is still in place. In other words, the DA-BFAR is violating its own decree.

The DA-BFAR experiments simply want to justify the lifting of the ban. These illegal experiments are, in fact, spreading the viruses.

Disease-free white shrimp are available, but at three times the cost of the smuggled varieties, which are often infested by the whitespot virus. Buying disease-free shrimp may be useless if the virus is prevalent and can easily infect ponds. Also, being certified as disease-free is virus-specific. If it is free of one virus, what about the other fifteen shrimp viruses found in Philippine waters? This short-term benefit is easily dwarfed by long-term damage, to a point that our entire shrimp industry is jeopardized.

We have become a nation of mercenaries at the beckoning of evil foreigners wanting to gain at our expense. In our poverty, we have become partners in their crimes and have begun to strangle our own kind.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). Op-ed sees nothing but trouble in illegal introduction of white shrimp from Taiwan into Philippines. Ken Coons. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com). September 27, 2006. Original Source: BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation (the "Philippines' premier business newspaper", http://www.bworldonline.com). Comments by Bernardo V. Lopez.

United Kingdom
New Metabisulfite Replacement

Independent testing of twelve shrimp preserving aids by the United Kingdom's Seafish organization has found that XyRex's Prawn-Fresh "appears to be the most successful treatment for maintaining appearances" and preventing black spot.

Seafish says Prawn-Fresh is classified as a processing aid and does not require labeling as a food additive in the United Kingdom.

Sodium metabisulfite has been used for years by the shrimp industry to control the effects of black spot on shrimp. Following recent court cases in the EU relating to high levels of sulfite residue and the requirement for allergen labeling, processors are looking for a better product. Highly corrosive, sodium metabisulfite also causes extensive damage to processing equipment and has serious operational health and safety issues. "Sodium metabisulfite only acts to improve the visual appearance of shrimp by a reverse bleaching process," says XyRex. The shrimp look visibly paler after treatment, and sodium metabisulfite does not help maintain the fresh odor or taste of shrimp.

XyRex says that Prawn-Fresh is a wholly organic, natural product that controls the melanosis, bacterial degradation and subsequent shelf life by the natural action of antioxidants, polyphenols, melanosis blockers and osmosis controllers.

XyRex says that Prawn-Fresh is simple, safe and easy to use. It's applied in a dip just like sodium metabisulphite. Simply measure out a quantity of sea or freshwater bath and add the required quantity of Prawn-Fresh, leave for 10 minutes and ice as normal.

[Don't confuse "Prawn-Fresh" with "Everfresh", also a black spot inhibitor, whose active ingredient is 4-hexylresorcinol].

Information: XyRex®, Ltd., Willowburn Road, Willowyard Industrial Estate, Beith, Ayrshire, United Kingdom KA15 1LN (phone 44-141-552-9606, webpage http://www.xyrex.co.uk/cgi-bin/ccp51/cp-app.pl?usr=51F5314086&rnd=9335678&rrc=N&affl=&cip=&act=&aff=).

Indonesian Distributor: Xyrexndo, Jalan Bambu Ampel G2, Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia (phone 62-21-70764662, fax 62-21-7823857, email databuana@yahoo.co.uk).

Sources: Fish Farming International (http://www.fishfarming.co.uk). Editor, Kenny McCaffrey (kenny.mccaffrey@informa.com). Preservative 'replaces sodium metabisulphite'. Volume 33, Number 9, Page 12, September 2006. 2. XyRex, Ltd.'s webpage on September 27, 2006.

United States
California--Shrimp News International

World Shrimp Farming 2006, Shrimp News's annual report on the industry, is scheduled for distribution in mid-October 2006. To receive a copy of the announcement, which will include the table of contents and an order form, please forward your surface mail address to: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, 10845 Scripps Ranch Boulevard, #4, San Diego, California 92131 USA (phone 858-880-2580, fax 858-368-5100, email bob@shrimpnews.com, webpage http://www.shrimpnews.com).

Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, October 6, 2006.

United States
New Jersey--High School Shrimp

Chuck Gehman's high school horticulture class at Middle Township High School in Cape May County is going to grow a little shrimp on the side. With fellow teachers Bill Doan, John King and John Dattalo and a new shrimp facility, Geham hopes to produce about 100 pounds of shrimp a year.

Source: Cape May County Herald. See Middle High's Aquaculture on TV (http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/articles/1886/1/See-Middle-High&%2339%3Bs-Aquaculture-on-TV-(9.21.06)). Al Campbell. September 21, 2006.