As the largest producer of farmed shrimp in the world, Asia is finding it difficult to sustain its growth in the marketplace. Since 2012, farmed shrimp production in Asia, began to show a steep decline; an impact of the early mortality syndrome or EMS. At the same time, white spot syndrome virus remains a threat.
“EMS has taken a third of the global annual tonnage of farmed shrimp off markets and the subsequent economic impact has favoured those who still have shrimp to sell at record high prices,” says Zuridah Merican, Editor of Aquaculture Asia Pacific (AAP).
Despite enjoying high prices, some producers remain concerned about its future impact. While EMS has been shown to have a bacterial etiology, curative treatments are still far away and farmers continue to have doubts about the success of future stocking. Loss in production from EMS and other diseases is not just the plight of shrimp farmers. It has a multiplier effect on stakeholders across the entire supply chain, from broodstock to hatchery, to feed producers and processing plants. Loss of revenue and the social impact of job losses are some concerns at the country level.
While various groups and producers are working on disease and production issues, they lack synergy and collaboration. The industry needs to collectively find solutions and determine a suitable course of action to ensure the sustainable development of Asia’s shrimp aquaculture.
This is the premise behind the fourth Aquaculture Roundtable Series (TARS 2014), organised by AAP and Corporate Media that aims to facilitate open dialogue, among key stakeholders, on the state of the shrimp aquaculture industry. TARS 2014 will be held in Phuket from August 20-21, 2014. Under the theme, Recovery • Revival • Renaissance, TARS 2014 will also explore current and future state of the industry, marketing, disease challenges, culture technology and practices and nutrition and health interactions.
Building on the successful format of this roundtable series, TARS 2014 promises a comprehensive agenda of shrimp aquaculture ‘state-of-the-science’ presentations by a host of international experts, and thought-provoking, interactive breakout sessions with industry participation that are hallmarks of this critical series.
Two hundred participants from Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA representing government policymakers, NGOs, academia, investors, integrators, farmers and technical staff, feed suppliers, ingredient and equipment specialists, and marketers are expected to attend.
TARS 2014 is supported by the Department of Fisheries, Thailand. Industry sponsors include INVE Aquaculture, Biomin, Jefo, Alltech, DSM, Nutriad and Biomar.
For more information, visit www.tarsaquaculture.com
For more information, contact: Dr Zuridah Merican or Ms Irene Gomez
