Best Aquaculture Practices Adds Repacking Plants

RAF Project Studies Early Mortality In Shrimp
The juvenile shrimp on
the left shows signs of
EMS/AHPNS: a pale,
atrophied hepatopancreas
and empty stomach
and midgut. The shrimp
on the right is unaffected.
Copyright © 2012, Global Aquaculture Alliance. Do not reproduce without permission.
When early mortality syndrome (EMS) hit China’s shrimp
farms in 2009, then later spread to Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, the disease resulted in serious industry losses and caused
secondary impacts on employment, social welfare and international seafood markets.
To help address EMS – now more descriptively called acute
hepatopancreas necrosis syndrome (AHPNS) – the Responsible
Aquaculture Foundation has begun a project funded by the World
Bank to analyze and report the evolution of the EMS/AHPNS
crisis in the shrimp-farming industry of Vietnam and evaluate the
mitigation efforts and eventual recovery process there.
After a review of EMS-related information published by
governmental authorities as well as university researchers and
producers in Vietnam, an expert international team led by proj-
ect coordinator Dr. George Chamberlain and shrimp health specialist Dr. Donald Lightner visited shrimp farms in several
regions of Vietnam in late July and early August.
Lightner said nearly all the farms’ ponds held shrimp with
symptoms of AHPNS. No mitigation measures have been universally successful. What appears to work in one farm does not
work at another, he said.
Among the tasks of the project was to develop an on-farm
case definition for AHPNS based on gross signs presented by
juvenile shrimp. In affected shrimp, the hepatopancreas is atrophied and often pale with black spots or streaks. The shrimp
exhibit soft shells and partially full to empty guts. The clinical
signs and mortality start as soon as 10 days after stocking. Moribund shrimp sink to pond bottoms.
The team determined that EMS/AHPNS may encompass a
number of diseases that occur in shrimp ponds within 30 days of
stocking, including infections by white spot syndrome virus,
Taura syndrome virus, yellowhead virus and vibriosis. With
modifications, the RAF definition and more definitive acute
hepatopancreas necrosis syndrome terminology have been
adopted by the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific.
Lightner and his team will prepare a report in September and
October that explains the course and impacts of the disease, and
recommends management measures at the political/regulatory
level as well as the hatchery and farm levels that will help other
aquaculture operations limit or avoid the problem.
Best Aquaculture Practices
Adds Repacking Plants
Rich Products Corp.’s plant in Brownsville, Texas, USA,
has been certified under the Best Aquaculture Practices program to process shrimp and tilapia. Rich, the world leader in
non-dairy toppings and icings, is also a leading supplier of
shrimp and seafood. The plant makes products for Rich’s
SeaPak Shrimp & Seafood Co. retail brand.
“As a Founding Member of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, food safety and quality assurance have always been top
priorities at SeaPak,” said Daryl Miller, senior marketing
manager for SeaPak Shrimp & Seafood Co. “BAP validates
the excellence in best processing and production practices at
our Brownsville plant and bolsters SeaPak’s role as a trusted
source for premium seafood products.”
BAP certifications for two Slade Gorton and Co., Inc.
plants were completed July 13. The Slade Gorton facility in
Boston, Massachusetts, is certified to process tilapia, salmon,
catfish and Pangasius. The company’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida, plant can handle tilapia, salmon and catfish.
Slade Gorton, a privately held, family business, is one of
America’s largest importers, distributors and manufacturers of
fresh, frozen and premium value-added seafood products.
“Slade Gorton is proud of its affiliation with GAA and to
have received BAP certification,” Kim Gorton, company president and CEO, said. “We are committed to supporting continuous improvements in responsible harvesting and farming practices, enhancements in food safety and traceability, and reducing
the social impacts associated with global fishing practices.”
global aquaculture advocate
September/October 2012
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