Giant Tiger Prawns from Malaysia a Big Hit on Alibaba's T-mall Platform

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Shuichan] translated by Amy Zhong - July 18, 2018

The sales of Malaysia’s giant tiger prawns on the T-mall ecommerce platform has skyrocketed by 10 times last year compared with last year. These prawns are renowned in the shrimp family for their large sizes and tasty meat. T-mall chose prawns which that have undergone various selection procedures in aquaculture and processing to ensure high qualities.

On Nov. 11 last year, 350,000 such prawns were sold, which shows its high status. On June 18, another ...

Vietnam Shrimp Farmers to Benefit From Cargill Innovation Center

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - July 16, 2018

A new shrimp farming hub in Vietnam will be able to aid aquaculture farmers in accessing the latest innovations.

The farming hub, a Technology Application Center (TAC) in Bac Lieu province, was opened by Cargill last week. The facility was not only created to help aquaculture farmers access the latest innovations, but also “apply the best possible solutions to grow healthy seafood and increase their profits.”

“Our Technology Application Center will apply shrimp farming knowledge and technology from ...

Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery Re-opens Off of Texas Sunday

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - July 11, 2018

The National Marine Fisheries Service recently announced the opening of federal waters to shrimp trawling on July announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will open on Sunday, July 15.

The opening, beginning 30 minutes after official sunset on July 15, corresponds to the time Texas opens its state waters to shrimp trawling, according to NMFS.

The waters off Texas are closed to shrimp fishing annually to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size ...

Data Shows Increase in Vietnam Border Trade and Likely Uptick in Smuggling

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Chinaeel] translated by Amy Zhong - July 6, 2018

Statistics from Vietnam show the country has imported seafood worth more than $163 million USD in May, which is an increase of 29 percent from that of April and an increase of 60 percent compared with the same period last year. This means the import value is close to $698 million USD within the first five months this year, which is an increase of 33 percent compared with the same period last year ...

NFI Reopens 3-Day Shrimp School Education Program This Fall

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - July 3, 2018

The National Fisheries Institute’s Shrimp School is back after a couple of year hiatus. NFI announced this week that their 2018 education program, in cooperation with Dr. Steve Otwell of the University of Florida and FDA sensory experts, will be held from October 23-25th on the campus of the University of North Caroline’s Coastal Studies Institute in the Outer Banks.

The Shrimp School event will be conducted as a lecture series, as well as a hands-on sensory course ...

ANALYSIS: May Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Landings Largest Since May 2009

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Jim Kenny - June 25, 2018

The National Marine Fisheries Service is reporting May 2018 Gulf of Mexico shrimp landings (all species, headless) of 16.281 million pounds compared to 14.585 million pounds in May 2017. This is the largest May total since 16.288 million pounds were landed in May 2009.

The Louisiana fishery led all Gulf states in May with landings totaling 10.369 million pounds. This is considerable since there hasn’t been a single production month in excess of ...

Vietnam Strengthens Supervision of Shrimp Imported from India and Ecuador

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - June 25, 2018

Facing the recent dramatic reduction of white shrimp prices, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development some measures for promoting the sustainable development of domestic shrimp aquaculture and export. To be specific, it advises the government to strengthen supervision of Haiphong port’s import of shrimp from India and Ecuador and then exporting the products. It aims to prevent business fraud as much as possible and stimulate a ...

LDWF Announces Closures for 2018 Inshore Shrimp Season

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 22, 2018

On Thursday the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced that the 2018 spring inshore shrimp season will close for portions of Zone 1 and Zone 2 on Wednesday, June 27.

The closure announcement is part of the state’s efforts to protect developing shrimp. Data collected by LDWF biologists in recent weeks found that there has been an “increased quantity, distribution and percentage of small, juvenile white shrimp.” Closing the area will give the shrimp an opportunity to grow to marketable sizes ...

Indonesia Holiday Eid al-Fitr to Potentially Cause Drop in Shrimp Exports

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - July 7, 2018

Indonesian religious holiday Eid al-Fitr, also known as Lebaran or Idul Fitri, is observed on June 15 this year and is expected to cause a disruption in shrimp exports.

While the holiday lasts for two days, the Indonesian government generally declares a few days before and after Eid al-Fitr as a bank holiday. This year offices and business will be closed for 10 days, from June 11 to June 20.

The closing was actually protested by businesses ...

Increased Shrimp and Tilapia Aquaculture in Mexico Driving Large Increase in Feed Production

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton – June 5, 2018

The leader of the Mexican Trade Association Conafab, representing food and animal nutrition, Genaro Bernal, said that growing Mexican demand for aquaculture products was boosting the feed industry.

Shrimp is the primary aquaculture product, accounting for 56% of the total volume, followed by tilapia, carp and oysters.  Total aquaculture volume in 2017 was 397,712 tons, which is up 57% in five years.

Regal Springs, headquartered in Switzerland, is one of the largest aquaculture companies in Mexico ...

Texas Shrimp Producer Installs New System to Raise Shrimp in High Density Indoor Production Facility

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 1, 2018

NaturalShrimp, Inc., an eco-friendly producer of fresh Pacific White shrimp, announced that they are installing an “enhanced version of its patent pending, vibrio suppression technology system” at their production facility in La Coste, Texas.

NaturalShrimp, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, grows their shrimp in indoor recirculating saltwater facilities. Their vibrio suppression technology was designed to not only create higher sustainable shrimp population densities, but improve growth and survival rates ...

Disease Outbreaks Among Chinese White Shrimp Leads to Various Levels of Price Reduction

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Shuichan] translated by Amy Zhong - May 31, 2018

Since mid-May, China’s shrimp aquaculture has been far from satisfactory under the influence of gloomy and rainy weather. Sick shrimp have entered the market in large quantities, which has resulted in price declines.

In Zhongshan of Guangdong, many shrimp have gotten sick due to unstable water temperature, which is influenced by local weather. Many shrimp have white feces syndrome. The disease incidence is about 20 percent, while the sick ones are mostly at the size of ...

Large Quantities of Sick Shrimp Flood Chinese Markets; Prices Drop in South, East China

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [163] translated by Amy Zhong - May 25, 2018

China’s shrimp price index is reported to be 140.05 points on May 16, which is a contraction by 6.9 percent, about 10.36 points, from that of May 6. The farm gate price of Chinese white shrimp is 28.97 yuan/jin (1 jin=0.5 kilo; ~$9.07/kg USD) on average for those at the size of about 40 shrimps/jin, which dropped about 2.15 yuan/jin ($0.67/kg USD).

Recently the market has suffered from ...

ANALYSIS: US Shrimp Market Weakening to Lowest Prices of the Post EMS Era

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton and Angel Rubio – May 15, 2018

The US shrimp market is weak, and is approaching its support levels of the post EMS era, according to Urner Barry’s market analysts.

Everyone knows that shrimp prices in the US have been steadily declining for at least a year, and that the decline accelerated since the beginning of 2018.  This is not surprising given the increases in global production and the record levels of US imports in 2016, 2017, and the first months of 2018 ...

New Wave Foods Co-Founder Reveals Why They Started with a Plant-Based Shrimp Alternative

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - May 11, 2018

There’s plenty of seafood to experiment with when it comes to created plant-based alternatives, but there is a reason why New Wave Foods tackled shrimp first.

New Wave Foods, co-founded by Dominique Barnes and Michelle Wolf in 2015, uses soy protein, brown algae extract, natural flavors and other ingredients to create a shrimp-alternative that mimics the taste, texture and appearance of the real deal. They’re looking to expand into the crab and lobster market next ...

National Shrimp Day: 5 Ways to Celebrate on May 10

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Amanda Buckle - May 10, 2018

In case you needed a reason to indulge in shrimp, today is National Shrimp Day!

An always delicious meal choice, shrimp is also a healthy one, packed with B vitamins, iron and omega-3’s. While we can’t tell you how the “holiday” started, we can share some ways to celebrate:

Bonefish Grill: Search for your nearest Bonefish Grill to feast on their Bang Bang Bliss menu. Created just for National Shrimp Day, this special menu is built around the chain’s signature ...

Louisiana Shrimpers Applaud Tariffs on Chinese Shrimp; Want Them Applied Across the Board

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton – July 12, 2018

One part of the US seafood industry is applauding the prospect of more tariffs on Chinese Seafood.  That would be the Louisiana shrimp producers.

The Louisiana shrimp task force was meeting in Houma when the list of potential new tariffs were announced.   Acy Cooper, a task force member and president of the Lousiana shrimp association, and a long time advocate of tariffs on shrimp imports, said  “We had a record number of shrimp ...

Total FDA Refusals Increase Nearly 64% in June 2018

Total refusals of shipments increased 63.9% from June 2017 to June 2018. Year-to-date there are 118 line item refusals ...

Fourth of July Food By The Numbers: A Look at Retail and Restaurants

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Amanda Buckle - July 5, 2018

Barbecue, fireworks and sunburn – all signs of a good Fourth of July.  But what about for retailers and restaurants?

Prior to the holiday, the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicted that Americans would spend $6.9 billion on food for Fourth of July cookouts. That number is down from last year’s record of $7.1 billion, and the drop in spending is being attributed to the fact that the Fourth of July fell on a Wednesday this year ...

Retail Promotions Kicking in for Shrimp in Response to Lower Prices

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafodoNews] by John Sackton – June 26, 2018

With shrimp volume continuing to surge into the United States, and with prices falling, one of the key questions facing sellers is how quickly consumption is increasing to take advantage of the value shrimp currently represents.

It appears that there is increasing retail movement on shrimp, driven by availability and lower prices.

For example, Acme in New Jersey just ran an ad for 2 lb bags of EZ peel shrimp at ...

China's Dragon Boat Festival Offers Brief Uptick in White Shrimp Prices

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - June 25, 2018

With the end of Dragon Boat Festival in mid-June, demand has contracted for white shrimp and price increases have come to an end temporarily. Prices varied by region and shrimp size.

In South China, prices rose to between 18 or 19 yuan/jin (1 jin=0.5 kg; $5.53 to 5.84/kg USD) for smaller sizes, those between 45 to 60 shrimp/jin to around 26 to 30 yuan/jin ($7.99 to $9.22/kg USD)for larger sizes, those between 35 and 40 shrimp/jin.

In Eastern China -- Zhejiang and Jiangsu, primarily -- prices dropped

Sushi Lovers Must See These Photos of the ‘Largest Sushi Roll at Sea’

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 22, 2018

Can’t get enough sushi? Cruise company Holland America Line has created the “largest sushi roll at sea,” with the classic Japanese dish coming in at a whopping 3.3 feet wide rolled.

Holland America Line Culinary Council Member Andy Matsuda created the “world mega roll” on June 9 in honor of International Sushi Day, which is celebrated on June 18 every year. While aboard the Koningsdam ship for a special “food and beverage aficionado” cruise in Norway, Matsuda prepared ...

Georgia Commercial and Recreational Shrimp Harvest Opens Tuesday, June 19

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 13, 2018

Commercial and recreational shrimp harvesters in Georgia will want to mark their calendars for Tuesday, June 19. Commissioner Mark Williams confirmed that Georgia waters will be open for harvest beginning at 8:00 a.m.

“The white shrimp abundance in our May coast-wide trawl survey is still a concern following the extreme winter freeze,” GADNR chief of Marine Fisheries, Carolyn Belcher, said in a press release. “However, the maturity of the shrimp that we have seen is progressing ...

June Alaska Fishing Updates: Tough Start for Salmon Season

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - June 6, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Salmon gets off to a slow start with other fisheries going on across the state.

It’s been a tough start so for Alaska’s salmon season.

Fisheries are set to open throughout the month and they will hopefully fare better than at Copper River.

Fishing for sockeyes and kings has been so poor there that only three openers have occurred so far, down by half. At first it seemed like ...

Vietnam Shrimp Farmers Slow Aquaculture Due to Plummeting Prices

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - June 4, 2018

Vietnam is the third largest shrimp exporter all over the world and its export value grew by 22 percent in 2017 to reach U.S. $3.85 billion compared with that of 2016. Vietnam has planned to increase its shrimp export to U.S. $10 billion by 2025, but now it has run into some trouble: Farmers have stopped seed stocking after suffering from continual losses.

Vo Thanh Sang, a farmer in the southern part, has recently sold his shrimp at ...

Alibaba Has Plans to Become the One of the Biggest Retail and Online Seafood Players in China

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Finance/YQ] translated by Amy Zhong - June 1, 2018

Recently the CEO for Alibaba’s Hema Fresh, the new retail giant, visited Guolian for a discussion about market trends and the possibility of cooperation, which could give both companies the opportunity to share resources and complement each other. In their discussions, Hou, the CEO, proposed Guolian could focus on the development of upstream products, while Hema would be in charge of the sales. Together, they could provide consumers with fresh, healthy and ...

Red Lobster Launches Lobster and Shrimp Summerfest; Introduces Tuna Poke Dish

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - May 30, 2018

Summer doesn’t officially start until Red Lobster kicks off their Lobster & Shrimp Summerfest.

The dining chain announced on Tuesday that their limited-time shrimp and lobster combo dining event is currently underway. Guests who visit red Lobster will have a chance to enjoy two of their favorite seafood proteins prepared in new ways. The new lineup includes:

Cedar-Plank Seafood Bake, a dish featuring jumbo shrimp and petite Maine lobster tails with garlic and Red Lobster’s signature Chesapeake seasoning, roasted on a ...

ANALYSIS: Shrimp Replacement Cost From Indonesia Lower Than India

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Angel Rubio – May 21, 2018

As a continuation of last week’s discussion, this week we look at replacement cost trends relative to prices in the wholesale market and U.S. spot wholesale, particularly for size 16-20.

In many cases the replacement costs can serve as a future indicator of the U.S. market, however, we know that these two markets can also be disconnected. For example, there are times when replacement costs overseas rise while the U.S. wholesale market trends lower. In this example, in theory, the U.S. importer would take a more cautious buying position ...

Disease and Bad Weather cut Shrimp Stocking in Some Areas of China by 20% or More

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Shuichan News] translated by Amy Zhong - May 14, 2018

In Zhuhai, most winter shrimp sold out at the end of April and the remaining small ones were moved outdoor to grow bigger. Though some farmers have increased seed stocking in April, local aquaculture is still haunted by problems like serious diseases and slow seed growth. According to one insider, about 60 percent to 70 percent of the large shrimp get sick due to gloomy and rainy days from late March to mid-April. This takes a toll on the seed’s feed consumption, which in turn affects their growth.

The proportion of seed stocking has reduced by about 20 percent..

Mexico Commits to Sustainable Shrimp Fishery with FAO Gulf of Mexico Project

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - May 10, 2018

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced on Wednesday that Mexico is committed to ensuring the sustainability of shrimp fishing.

FAO, as well as the National Commission of Aquaculture Fisheries (CONAPESCA) and the National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INAPESCA), will be implementing two projects that aim to achieve the sustainability of shrimp activity on the high seas. The projects include the implementation of the strategic action plan of the great marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico ...