Mekong Delta vannamei shrimp farmers rapidly expanding into unzoned areas, raising disease risk  The expansion of white shrimp farming operations into unzoned areas of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has some fishery authorities worried the growth will harm the environment and promote disease outbreaks. Authorieties said shrimp farming operations now occupy 10 times the area the province had originally planned. The expansion has prompted officials to mandate tigher management and require higher quality shrimp fry and animal feed along with better medical and farming practices.  Lobstermen in PEI and New Brunswick are at odds over the minimum carapace size of lobsters landed in the region. Fishermen in PEI object to the idea since a change in the minimum size could threaten their export markets for canner-sized product. However, those in New Bruswick say market demand is changing, with greater interest for larger sized product. They want the minimum sized raised from the current 72 millimeter (about 2.8 inches) restriction.  In other news, global demand for sustainably-fished toothfish has forced prices here in the US to record or near record levels. US and Asian buyers are now competing for more limited supplies of MSC-certified toothfish and this has put pressure on the market and has average prices for both frozen imported whole and portions up substantially this year.  We are saddened to report that the founder and president of Canada’s SM Products, Joern Nordmann passed away on October 5, 2014; he was 77 –years-old. During his time in the seafood industry, Nordmann grew SM to become the largest buyer and distributor of halibut in North America.  Finally, we report how Norwegian salmon exports continue to trend above last year’s levels for both values and volumes despite being shut out of their top export market in Russia. Exporters have cranked up their shipments to Asia and the US to offset the loss of access to the Russian market.