Global Aquaculture Issues

EMS caused by a common species of bacteria

April Forristall — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:45:15 GMT

EMS or AHPNS has been identified as a bacterial disease with a toxin component. It appears to be that a strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the cause and the toxin is phage mediated. What does this mean, how does it

Consolidation of aquaculture certification standards

April Forristall — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:44:55 GMT

With many different non governmental organizations offering to certify aquaculture operations it is good news that steps are being taken to potentially harmonize the standards. The first publicly reported step is through a memorandum of understanding between some of the

Tariffs in aquaculture don’t work

April Forristall — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:47:49 GMT

Once again another round of tariffs is being enacted against aquaculturists. Unlike the pending action against shrimp farmers — in which all of the major shrimp farming nations are being targeted — this action is targeted towards one industry in

The EMS scare

April Forristall — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:36:08 GMT

Shrimp farming is not an easy business for all. Despite this the trend for global production remains on an upward slope. Recently there has been a lot of talk about EMS, or Early Mortality Syndrome, also known as AHPNS or

Shrimp import duties — again?

April Forristall — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:31:00 GMT

Once again we see special interest groups in the U.S. pushing the buttons in a political process intended to raise the price of shrimp to the U.S. consumers. The U.S. Commerce Department and International Trade Commission have been asked to

AquaBounty saga continued…..

April Forristall — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:27:51 GMT

The term Luddite has come to refer to groups that are against technological progress. This can be for any number of reasons, but the bottom line is that the opposition is real and typically without merit. While I said in

Land based aquaculture — a good idea?

April Forristall — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:18:20 GMT

There appears to be a renewed interest in land based aquaculture (replacing cages). This seems to be driven in part as a means of addressing some of the concerns of special interest groups. Some have been distorting the dangers of

Defining sustainability for aquaculture

April Forristall — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:41:26 GMT

As I have blogged before sustainability means different things to different people and until some non biased third party comes up with a universal definition that all “involved” parties can agree upon talk about harmonizing certification standards is just that.

Activists continue focus on Thailand shrimp farm labor practices

April Forristall — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:24:33 GMT

Burma, also known as Myanmar, is Thailand’s neighbor. It is a poor country with little opportunity for gainful employment for the masses. Thailand is a land of opportunity for many Burmese. Unfortunately just as everywhere else in the world, including

Salmon farming in the crosshairs

April Forristall — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:22:51 GMT

Organized anti salmon farming NGOs are taking on salmon farming and New Zealand is in the crosshairs along with two Canadian provinces. There have always been individuals and groups who are opposed to the concept of farming fish. This opposition runs

Should USDA be regulating catfish?

Steve Hedlund — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:26:21 GMT

In June 2008, the Federal Meat Inspection Act was extended to include catfish. An Office of Catfish Inspection Program was established within the USDA to fulfill this legal mandate, with the idea being that a science-based pond to plate inspection program would be developed that would ensure the safety of farmed catfish to the consumer. This would cover catfish produced anywhere in the world, including in the United States.

Is it a good idea for Marine Harvest to manufacture feed?

April Forristall — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:48:56 GMT

Feed costs are a large component of aquaculture production with the ultimate cost depending on how efficient the feed is being managed and the feed composition. Depending on the species, feed costs can easily exceed 60 percent of the cost

Vietnam's struggle with antibiotic residues

April Forristall — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:09:50 GMT

In the latter part of last year and the early part of this year Japanese and Canadian government screening has unearthed many examples of higher than allowed enrofloxacin residues in farmed catfish (basa and tra or pangasius) and shrimp. It

Yellow journalism is alive and well…unfortunately

April Forristall — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:56:00 GMT

I recently was pointed in the direction of a short film produced by a major NGO about shrimp farming in Thailand. I am amazed at how an organization of this stature can be so far from seeing the reality and

Does certification improve public health, sustainability?

April Forristall — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:43:46 GMT

The ripples of the recent change in philosophy about the use of the MSC to certify wild stocks in Alaska will be felt for some time. Several very large and important players have decided that the costs of MSC certification

Does Indonesian shrimp import ban make sense?

April Forristall — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:50:57 GMT

Recently, shrimp that were farmed in Malaysia and determined to be PCR positive for the virus that causes White Spot (WSSV) were refused entry into Indonesia. While the refusal, in of itself is not necessarily a big deal food products

The witch hunt continues

April Forristall — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:48:04 GMT

You may recall that a little more than a year ago I blogged about AquaBounty’s genetically engineered fish. While I urged caution regarding this subject in general, I did not urge irrational paranoia. I am firmly convinced (and was a

ISA scare

April Forristall — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:51:17 GMT

During seminars and discussions with clients, I often explain that disease is a natural thing. In fact the absence, while highly desirable, is not “natural." Entropy ensures that this will be the case. Pathogens that cause disease are simply facilitating

Is DNA testing of fish really needed?

April Forristall — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:42:39 GMT

My kids call me a techno geek. I am into toys and am constantly upgrading computers, buying the latest, etc. DNA testing is a relatively young technology and is bearing fruit in many ways that will impact all of our

Traceability: How much is too much?

April Forristall — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:51:34 GMT

If you have read any of my blogs you might gather that I am not a big fan of catch phrases like “sustainability,” “green,” “organic,” etc. Invariably they seem to be defined in terms that benefit the individuals or companies