• Summit will explore Ecuador’s investment readiness and the reasons for its continued overperformance in a challenging landscape
•  Session will provide a comprehensive investor-oriented view of the sector, from farming and feed to ESG, processing, and exports
• -An invite-only lunch will follow the summit, giving investors and industry leaders a unique opportunity to network and connect

The program for the 2026 Global Shrimp Forum continues to take shape, with the finance and investment summit, one of the key sessions, co-hosted by Rabobank, at September’s annual gathering of the industry’s leaders now finalised.

‘The Investment Case for Ecuador’s Shrimp Industry’ will home in on Ecuador’s success in the last decade, as it has combined large-scale farming, strong cost competitiveness, high biological performance and increasing vertical integration across feed, farming and processing, to set the benchmark for shrimp globally.

Taking place on the Forum’s final day – Thursday, September 3rd – between 9AM and 1:30PM, the summit will be chaired by Darian McBain, Founder and CEO of OCSO Asia, and moderated by Gorjan Nikolik, Senior Analyst at Rabobank. Presenters include Jose Antonio Camposan, President of the Chamber of Aquaculture (CAN) Ecuador; Eduardo Arosemena, CEO of Thai Union Feedmill Ecuador; Gabriel Luna, CEO of GlunaShrimp, while some of the most influential leaders from the farming, processing and feed segments of the industry will take part in a range of panel discussions.

Tentatively confirmed panelists include Sandro Coglitore, General Manager, Omarsa; Humberto Trujillo, CEO, Expalsa; Marcelo Velez, CEO, Edpacif & Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Aquaculture; Jose Vera, CEO, ProExpo; Maarten Bijl, CEO, Skretting; Henrik Aarestrup, VP, Biomar; Allan Cooper, Director of Strategy, Marketing and Value Creation, Vitapro, and Johnny Brom, CEO, Sail Investments. The session will provide an thorough assessment of the investability of the Ecuadorian shrimp sector, and identify

both where capital is already flowing, and where it should go next. You can view the full line-up at https://www.shrimp-forum.com/program/investment-summit-2026-part-1.

Global Shrimp Forum Managing Director, Willem van der Pijl, said,

“Against a volatile backdrop in the last few years, Ecuador has consistently outperformed other shrimp markets across a number of key metrics. Its success has seen it draw comparisons with salmon as an investment category, which is a great credit to the sector, however this success and praise has not converted into the kind of investment we feel it deserves, with limited and fragmented interest from capital markets, who often misunderstand the sector. This summit will aim to tackle any misconceptions head on, and provide prospective investors with a unique opportunity and insight into Ecuador’s shrimp industry.”

A limited number of complimentary tickets (subject to approval and availability) are available for investors attending the Global Shrimp Forum for the first time. Those who are interested in discussing this further can reach out to secretariat@shrimp-forum.com or call +31 6 10 64 21 77.

This year will see a record delegation from Ecuador in attendance at the global Shrimp Forum, with representatives from the following companies and bodies making the journey to Utrecht already confirmed: Aquagen, Biomar, Cargill, Camaronera Escalante, Chamber of Aquaculture, Davmercorp, Edpacif, Empacreci, Expalsa, ExportQuilsa, Fimasa Fincas Marinas, Grupo Almar, Grupo Bravito, Grupo Ecuacultivos, GlunaShrimp, Omarsa, ProExpo, Promarisco, Santa Priscila, Skretting, Thai Union Feedmill Ecuador, Vitapro.

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GenoMar is strengthening its approach to animal welfare across all operations through a strategic partnership with FAI — a globally recognized organization with scientific expertise in animal welfare across multiple species and production systems.

A science-based approach to animal welfare

FAI combines scientific knowledge with practical implementation experience across terrestrial and aquatic species. That expertise is now advancing welfare practices in tilapia production — an area where GenoMar is taking a leading role.

“FAI’s training and digital tools have been highly effective in implementing animal welfare standards across all our tilapia breeding and genetics operations. This drives stronger performance and more sustainable production,”

says Marina Delphino, Fish Health & Quality Solutions Manager at GenoMar Genetics Group.

Training and implementation: From Brazil to Asia

All GenoMar units in Brazil have completed training, building internal capacity around best practices in animal welfare. The next phase is already underway, expanding training and implementation across operations in Colombia and Asia — ensuring consistent standards across regions while respecting local realities.

Digital tools driving continuous improvement

The partnership also includes a digital tool for structured, continuous assessment of welfare indicators — helping teams identify opportunities for improvement and monitor progress over time. GenoMar’s participation is recognized on FAI’s public platform:

https://fai.academy/en/company-welfare-badges

How GenoMar monitors animal welfare

Animal welfare is embedded into every stage of production at GenoMar. Using FAI’s assessment framework and digital tool, teams evaluate welfare conditions through practical, observable indicators across key areas such as:

· Fish behavior — swimming patterns, responsiveness, signs of stress

· Physical condition — appearance, injuries, deformities, body condition

· Handling practices — grading, transfer, and crowding, conducted to minimize stress

· Environmental conditions — water quality and stocking densities

· Operational processes — consistency of routine management across teams and units

Employees carry out these assessments through a standardized app that enables real-time data collection and scoring — letting GenoMar diagnose current conditions, track progress, and support data-driven decisions across all teams.

By embedding these practices into daily operations, GenoMar treats animal welfare as a continuous, measurable, and science-based process — aligned with its broader mission of responsible aquaculture and sustainable food production.

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A 150,000-tonne Chinese smart aquaculture vessel reeled in its first batch of 3,000 Atlantic salmon on Monday, marking the world’s first commercial-scale production of salmonids onboard a mobile fish farm.

The harvest represents a major boost for China’s offshore fish farming ambitions, the Science and Technology Daily has reported.

Operated by the Qingdao Conson Development (Group) Co., Ltd. from east China’s Shandong Province, the vessel Guoxin No.1 2-2’s “swimming” aquaculture model has now cruised more than 4,000 nautical miles across China’s seas to deliver 12 tonnes of sashimi-grade salmon — from ocean to table in as little as 24 hours.

China consumes more than 200,000 tonnes of salmon a year, with less than 30 percent self-sufficiency. High-quality Atlantic salmon has long relied on imports — a costly, slow and freshness-compromising supply chain.

Over the decades, many coastal farming trials in China have failed, mostly due to temperature. Surface water soars in summer, turning cold-water fish into “heatstroke” victims. Typhoons, red tides and pollution add deadly threats.

“Now, our own ocean farms can produce high-quality salmon too,”

said Meng Guangwei, technical and operations director of the Guoxin No.1 2-2, adding that the breakthrough onboard the ship offers a stable, controllable and fully traceable supply chain for domestically produced premium salmon.

The ship was officially delivered on Nov. 15, 2025, with one core mission to achieve year-round, continuous onboard farming of Atlantic salmon and other salmonids.

Later that month, the first batch of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout fry was transferred into the ship’s tanks in the waters off Shandong Province using a “land-sea relay” model, in which fish are first raised on land before finishing at sea.

Since then, the “mobile ocean pasture” has been on the move.

To keep water temperatures between 10 and 16 degrees Celsius — a strict requirement for Atlantic salmon, the vessel migrated south from the Bohai Sea to the East China Sea in late 2025 for winter, then returned north to the Yellow and Bohai seas in early spring 2026.

This “swimming” model allows the ship to avoid typhoons, red tides and other natural disasters while staying within the optimum temperature range year-round.

The vessel has 15 standard farming tanks, with each tank holding more than 6,000 cubic meters of water, equivalent to two to three standard swimming pools.

A deep-layer water intake system, the first of its kind in China, draws cold seawater from 30 to 50 meters below the surface, where the temperature naturally remains within the required standard range.

Thousands of sensors enable 24-hour monitoring of water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and fish health. An intelligent feeding system provides precise, scheduled feeding around the clock, replacing traditional manual methods.

After nearly six months of care, the results have exceeded expectations. The salmon achieved a survival rate of 97.5 percent, far above conventional net-pen farming, according to the company.

The fish also grew faster than in traditional methods. The harvested salmon averaged over 4 kilograms and about 0.6 meters in length, with the largest individuals exceeding 6 kilograms.

The fish are tested and found safe to eat raw, with quality notably superior to that of conventionally farmed salmon.

Unlike imported salmon, which often spends weeks in cross-border cold chain logistics, the Guoxin No.1 2-2 compresses the journey from deep-sea harvest to Chinese dinner tables to just 24 to 36 hours.

Qingdao Conson Development (Group) Co., Ltd. has spent nearly a decade turning mobile fish farming into a commercial reality.

The journey was not without challenges. Meng has sailed north and south for six months, watching the tiny fry grow into fatty, beautifully marbled adults. “We guarded them day and night,” he said.

The “swimming” aquaculture model breaks down the barriers of geography and seasons, but unexpected hurdles such as storms, temperature swings and unfamiliar rearing techniques arose.

The hands-on experience of Meng and his colleagues has yielded a precious trove of technical data and operational know-how for China’s shipboard salmon farming. 

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The US has imposed preliminary anti-dumping duties of 6.76 per cent to 10.76 per cent on two Vietnamese shrimp exporters, while 27 other companies face a rate of 7.56 per cent.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the United States Department of Commerce has issued its preliminary findings in the 20th administrative review of anti-dumping duties on frozen warmwater shrimp imported from Vietnam.

The review covers exports shipped to the US between February 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025.

During the review period, 29 Vietnamese companies applied for separate tariff rates and all applications were accepted by the US Department of Commerce. Among them, two firms were selected as mandatory respondents for detailed examination.

Under the preliminary findings, the two companies received anti-dumping duties of 6.76 per cent and 10.76 per cent respectively.

One company was assigned the higher rate after failing to provide complete information regarding certain chemical inputs, prompting the department to use adverse data in its cost calculations.

The remaining 27 companies were assigned a separate rate of 7.56 per cent, equivalent to the weighted average duty imposed on the two mandatory respondents.

The US Department of Commerce also plans to rescind the review for eight companies after determining that they had no export shipments during the review period.

Meanwhile, 132 companies that failed to qualify for separate rates will continue to face the nationwide anti-dumping duty rate of 25.76 per cent.

Interested parties may submit comments to the US Department of Commerce within 21 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register, followed by rebuttal submissions within the next five days.

Parties may also request a hearing within 30 days. The department is expected to issue its final determination around November this year.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has urged the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers and related businesses to continue fully cooperating with the US review process to avoid being deemed uncooperative and subjected to unfavourable tariff rates.

Source: dantri.com.vn

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Center for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT) continues to grow its global genetics team with the appointment of Dr. Iulia Blaj as Quantitative Geneticist, based in Australia.

The addition of Dr. Blaj strengthens CAT’s expanding breeding and genetics services team as demand continues to grow for advanced aquaculture breeding solutions worldwide.

In her new role, Dr. Blaj will advance data analysis across CAT’s breeding partners, helping design and evaluate statistical and genomic models that translate complex data into practical breeding decisions for clients.

CAT currently manages more than 20 breeding programs globally across a wide range of aquatic species. Supported by a growing portfolio of 50+ genotyping and sequencing tools, CAT helps producers improve disease resistance, growth, robustness, and long-term sustainability through tailored breeding strategies designed by each client’s goals.

Dr. Blaj brings extensive expertise in quantitative genetics and statistical genomics, with experience spanning both academia and industry across livestock and plant breeding sectors.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Blaj said:

“Genomics is one of the most powerful tools the aquaculture industry has to shape its future. By integrating the right methods with meaningful and rigorous data interpretation, we can help producers make better decisions and enable the development of healthier, more resilient stocks. I’m excited to join the CAT team and contribute to work that creates lasting value and real impact across aquaculture.”

Dr. John Buchanan, CEO of CAT, welcomed the appointment, noting that the company’s continued growth reflects increasing industry demand.

“We are very pleased to welcome Iulia to CAT. Her appointment adds valuable quantitative genetics expertise to our growing global team and strengthens the support we provide to breeding programs around the world,”

said Dr. Buchanan.

“As more aquaculture producers increasingly adopt genomic technologies and data-driven breeding strategies, expanding our technical resources is critical to ensuring we continue delivering practical, commercially ready solutions for our clients.”

As the aquaculture industry continues to evolve and the global demand for seafood grows, CAT remains focused on equipping producers with science-based breeding strategies that drive productivity, resilience, and sustainability.

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Crawfish Himalayan Limited inaugurated through landmark sovereign-private partnership between Singapore Crawfish and DHI. This establishes a world-record production facility and unlocking direct access to Asia’s multi-billion-dollar crawfish market

Crawfish Himalayan Limited (CHL) the world’s first and largest high-technology crawfish hatchery has been officially inaugurated in Phuentsholing, in the southern foothills of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The facility was established through a landmark sovereign-private partnership between Singapore Crawfish (SGCF), Asia’s leading commercial crawfish technology and genetics company, and Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), the investment arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan.

CHL represents the first purpose-built, high-technology commercial crawfish hatchery operating at institutional scale in the Himalayan region, and its certified minimum production capacity of up to 18 million premium quality crawfish/year makes it one of the largest facility of its class globally. No comparable facility has existed anywhere in the world.

The location was selected with deliberate strategic precision: southern Bhutan sits at the intersection of two of the world’s largest and fastest-growing protein markets, India and China, while its Himalayan water geography provides a production input advantage that no lowland competitor can replicate.

In framing the partnership structure, the principals describe CHL not as a one-country facility but as the anchor and proof of concept for a replicable sovereign aquaculture infrastructure model, designed to be licensed and deployed across willing government partners throughout ASEAN and South Asia.

Desmond Chow, Founder & CEO, Singapore Crawfish (SGCF) said, 

“This inauguration is the result of years of technology development, genetics work, and sovereign partnership-building. Bhutan gave us pristine water, visionary leadership, and the strategic location to change how the world thinks about crawfish production as part of food security.”

The Crawfish Himalayan Limited facility has been constructed and equipped to institutional-grade specifications, comprising a fully integrated production system from broodstock genetics management through certified juvenile delivery.

The key facility parameters are as follows:

• Indoor climate-controlled hatchery footprint: approximately 8,000 m², housing all core high tech hatchery systems including broodstock tanks, spawning management infrastructure, larval rearing systems, and juvenile grow-out units
• Adjacent outdoor grow ponds: 8 acres of purpose-designed crawfish production ponds providing supplementary grow-out capacity directly contiguous to the hatchery
• Partner and investor expansion area: Additional 150 acres of adjacent land, cleared and development-ready for structured grow-out partnerships, investor-activated crawfish farming operations, and downstream supply chain build-out
• Production capacity: A minimum of 18,000,000 premium-grade crawfish juveniles/year at full operational capacity, delivering a consistent, high-health fingerling supply to downstream farmers
• Integrated broodstock holding and genetics program: maintaining a diverse, high-performance genetic base to ensure consistent juvenile quality, disease resilience, and breed improvement over successive production cycles

The facility is designed and operated as a complete production system, from the selection and management of founding broodstock genetics through the delivery of certified, ready-to-stock juveniles to downstream farming operations across Bhutan, India, and targeted regional markets.

Technology & Genetics  from Singapore Crawfish (SGCF)

The complete technology architecture of Crawfish Himalayan Limited (CHL) was designed, built and operationalised by Singapore Crawfish (SGCF) the sole technology and genetics partner of CHL and the definitive regional authority in commercial crawfish production systems. SGCF’s contribution to this facility cannot be disaggregated from the facility’s world-record standing: without SGCF’s proprietary systems, this highly functional aqua tech system would not exist at this altitude, in this water chemistry, or in this climate profile.

SGCF’s specific contributions to CHL include a proprietary hatchery water management structure and recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) specifically adapted for Bhutan’s high-altitude conditions and glacial water chemistry; a genetics program providing the founding broodstock pool, selected for higher growth rate, better fecundity, juvenile survival, and adaptability to Himalayan production parameters; and a proprietary feed formulation, an 12-ingredient precision nutrition formula developed specifically for Himalayan crawfish production conditions, providing optimised early-stage nutrition matched to the developmental requirements of juveniles under local temperature and water quality profiles.

SGCF has also transferred operational management protocols, hatchery SOPs, and staff training programs to ensure production consistency. The company is positioned as the ongoing technology custodian of CHL and holds the licensing model for replicating this sovereign hatchery architecture across future government partnerships in the region.

The Himalayan Advantage

The selection of southern Bhutan as the home of the world’s first high-technology crawfish hatchery was not merely strategic, it was scientifically motivated. The glacial waters descending from the highest peaks of the Himalayan range provide a production input of exceptional purity: consistently low pathogen load, stable mineral composition.

For a species whose juvenile survival rates and long-term immune competence are directly correlated with water quality, this is a durable competitive advantage that geography cannot transfer to competitors. Clean-air, low-density highland environments also reduce biosecurity risk and antibiotic dependency, a commercial and regulatory advantage as importing markets in China and India tighten residue and antibiotic-free certification standards for aquaculture products.

Himalayan-origin Crawfish

The resulting product provenance story, Himalayan-origin crawfish, produced in Bhutan’s pristine glacial catchments, certified antibiotic-reduced and sustainably farmed positions CHL’s output for premium market access in China’s increasingly quality-conscious food service sector and India’s expanding premium seafood retail segment. This is a positioning that no flatland competitor operating under conventional water source conditions can replicate. CHL Leadership Team  said, 

“The Gelephu and Phuentsholing corridor was always Bhutan’s gateway to South and Southeast Asia. CHL transforms that geographic fact into a living food security asset, one that produces sovereign-grade protein from waters that no other jurisdiction in the region can match. This is Bhutan claiming its place in Asia’s protein future.”

Food Security Mission

Being landlocked, Bhutan’s per capita protein consumption from aquatic sources has historically been constrained by the absence of domestic aquaculture infrastructure at commercial scale. CHL directly addresses this gap. As a sovereign food security installation, not merely a commercial enterprise the facility provides the Kingdom with its first domestic crawfish protein production capability, reducing dependency on imported animal protein and creating a resilient, domestically-anchored supply chain.

The facility’s fingerling supply mandate extends the food security impact beyond the hatchery boundary. As the hatchery creates the upstream foundation for hundreds of downstream crawfish farming operations across Bhutan’s southern districts.

Each fingerling stocked by a Bhutanese farmer represents a unit of domestic protein production and a unit of rural livelihood generated by sovereign aquaculture infrastructure. The 150-acre expansion area adjacent to the hatchery is specifically designated for this downstream farming ecosystem: partner-activated grow-out operations that can feed directly into both domestic consumption and regional export channels.

Export Market Opportunity: India and China

Bhutan’s proximity to India’s northeastern states with Gelephu sitting directly at the Assam border crossing gives CHL a supply-chain advantage for the Indian market that no offshore hatchery competitor can match. India’s aquaculture market reached approximately USD 21.9 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5%  through 2030, according to Grand View Research*, reflecting structural growth in domestic protein demand from a population of 1.4 billion increasingly oriented toward seafood consumption. 

China is the world’s dominant crawfish market by every measurable dimension. According to official Chinese National Bureau of Statistics data reported by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (2025 China Fishery Products Report), Chinese domestic crawfish production reached 3.2 million metric tons in 2023 — an increase of 9.4%  year-on-year, with Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi provinces accounting for over 90% of total national output.

Chinese industry associations, in partnership with local governments, have actively expanded consumer crawfish culture through chef competitions, restaurant promotions, and tasting events. Domestic demand continues to outpace production growth, creating persistent structural import demand for premium-quality crawfish and crawfish juveniles.

The Asia-Pacific crayfish market, estimated at USD 2.3 billion in 2024, is projected by Cognitive Market Research to expand at a CAGR of 15.2% through 2031. The global crayfish market itself, valued at approximately USD 10.5 billion in 2025, is forecast across multiple analytical houses to approximately double in value by the early 2030s. Within this market, farmed crayfish, the category CHL produces, accounts for 58.3% of global revenue as of 2025, driven by the consistency, quality, and supply reliability advantages that controlled hatchery production delivers over wild-capture alternatives.

For CHL, the geographic calculus is straightforward. Southern Bhutan’s Gelephu corridor sits directly on the India-Bhutan border, providing road-accessible logistics to Indian northeastern markets and, via the Kokrajhar-Gelephu railway link currently under construction, a rail corridor to India’s broader north and northeast.

For Chinese market access, the northern Bhutan-China interface, combined with southern India gateway transit, provides overland reach to southwestern Chinese crawfish-consuming provinces that no Southeast Asian or island-based competitor can approach on logistics cost terms. A Himalayan-origin, premium-branded live and juvenile product commands pricing power in the Chinese food service and aquaculture input markets that commodity-grade product from major Chinese producing provinces cannot.

Investment and partnership opportunity

Crawfish Himalayan Limited and Singapore Crawfish are actively seeking regional expansion partners, structured grow-out investors, downstream farming operators, and sovereign government collaborators. The 150-acre expansion area adjacent to the CHL hatchery is available for structured partnership discussions beginning immediately. Interested parties may engage through the channels below.

For sovereign governments across ASEAN and South Asia with freshwater aquaculture ambitions and food security mandates, Singapore Crawfish extends a direct invitation to explore the sovereign hatchery co-development model, bringing SGCF’s proprietary technology, genetics platform, and operational expertise into partnership with government-backed investment capital and locally available natural resources. The blueprint has been proven in Bhutan. It is ready to be replicated.

*Sources: Grand View Research, India Aquaculture Market Outlook 2025-2030; FAO, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024; Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, PIB Press Release, January 2026; USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 2025 China Fishery Products Report (Beijing); Cognitive Market Research, Asia Pacific Crayfish Market Report 2025; Research and Markets / 360iResearch, Global Crayfish Market 2025-2032; IMARC Group, Global Crayfish Market Forecast 2025-2033; DataBridge Market Research, Global Crayfish Market 2033

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John Williamson addressed the challenges in maintaining animal health and productivity through functional nutrition.

Central to these strategies is gut health, which is the foundation of shrimp performance. The assertion is that a healthy gut supports better digestion, stronger immunity and resilience to stress. Increasing concerns on antimicrobial resistance and consumer demand for residue free seafood are limiting the use of antibiotics. This has accelerated the development of non-antimicrobial and sustainable health solutions.

During TARS 2025, on shrimp aquaculture, John Williamson, Business Development Director, Auranta, Ireland, discussed functional nutrition strategies to mitigate major diseases and outlined results from laboratory and field trials. Auranta is an Irish biotech startup focused on natural, science‑backed solutions for animal health, especially gut health, immunity and antimicrobial reduction. It originated as a spin‑off from NovaUCD, the University College Dublin innovation hub. “It is important to understand the enemy and then develop solutions,” said John. “Understanding the value proposition is critical. Targeted use is important such as during a WSSV outbreak.”

Various pathogens such as Vibrio, white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) are disrupting production cycles and constraining profitability. At Auranta, shrimp primary gut and hepatopancreas cells have been isolated to study infection mechanisms and cellular responses. Combined with in vivo infection studies, this work has been documented in seven peer reviewed papers covering Vibrio, translucent post larvae disease (TPD), EHP, WSSV and gregarines (Nematopsis), the latter prevalent in Ecuador.

On the use of functional feeds, John Williamson said, “I think what we should focus on is value and cost per kg shrimp produced as opposed to cost per kg of feed or of the functional additive itself.” 

Managing Vibrio and TPD
TPD is caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains carrying multiple plasmid-borne toxin genes. Key among these are VHVP-1 and VHVP-2, a two-component toxin system where VHVP-1 supports attachment to the shrimp epithelial cell whilst VHVP-2 executes toxic effects inside shrimp cells (Williamson, 2025).

TPD can cause more than 90% mortality within 24–48 hours in PL 2–4 shrimp if left unchecked. Research using shrimp cell models showed that a natural antimicrobial blend based on an organic acid/phytogenic blend can silence key virulence genes, including VHVP toxins and PirA. Downregulation of HCP1 and HCP2 reduces bacterial adhesion and cytotoxicity across different salinities and strains (Asian and Latin America). In a Vibrio TPD challenge trial, untreated shrimp showed mortality around 91%, while the inclusion of natural antimicrobial blend reduced mortality to below 6%.

Efficacy to overcome WSSV and EHP
John demonstrated how the organic acid/phytogenics blend modulated immune oxidative pathways exploited by the virus. Downregulation of genes such as beta-1,3-glucan binding protein reduced hyperinflammation and cell death. Increased mucin gene expression (Mucin 1 and Mucin 2) improved mucus production and antioxidant activity further reduced oxidative stress. In vivo trials demonstrated significant reductions in viral copy numbers and mortality (from 96% in controls to 7% in treated shrimp).

Field trials in Thailand and Ecuador showed reduced white faeces and WSSV prevalence. In a farm in Thailand, WSSV prevalence decreased from over 30% in 2021 to 3% in 2022, which remained between 3–10% throughout 2024. Growth performance and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were maintained in Ecuador. In the Thai farm with 200 ponds, the organic acid blend was added directly into feeds at 5kg/tonne by the feed mill and fed to shrimp all year round. This farm has been successful in overcoming WSSV whilst others in the area encountered disease.

In a field trial in India, the blend was effective against EHP by attacking the parasite’s infection process and bolstering host cell defences. Inclusion of the product during an ongoing EHP infection restored linear growth performance (Figure 2). The effect was a significant reduction in EHP copy numbers.

John concluded that undoubtedly, functional nutrition is a critical pillar of health management. However, further research is needed to define nutritional thresholds and identify novel functional ingredients. Clear documentation of performance, cost and ROI is essential to drive adoption by producers. “Often, functional ingredients seem to be expensive. I think what we should focus on is value and cost per kg shrimp produced as opposed to cost per kg of feed or of the functional additive itself. The application strategy is also crucial, necessitating close collaboration between feed manufacturers and farmers.”

Reference
Williamson, J., 2025. Natural antimicrobials in shrimp aquaculture: Broad-Spectrum protection against WSSV, EHP and TPD. September/October 2025, pp 32-34. https://issues.aquaasiapac.com/view/879690187/34/

The rising concern of TPD regionally
A panel led Dr Kallaya Sritunyalucksana-Dangtip, BIOTEC/NSTDA, Thailand, with invited industry players noted that while some countries reported no official detection, anecdotal evidence from farmers suggested otherwise. Private laboratory testing in Vietnam confirmed TPD cases. Malaysia has already implemented stricter biosecurity measures, requiring imported broodstock to be certified free of TPD. Thailand has formed a task force for regular surveillance. Panellists stressed that cross-border movement of post larvae and broodstock presents significant risk making coordinated enforcement essential.

Members also cautioned against the misinformation on how to prevent or manage TPD. Practices such as indiscriminate antibiotic baths for post larvae may risk long term consequences, including antimicrobial resistance. The importance of infrastructure and regulation was highlighted. Proper farm design, water treatment systems and reservoir capacity can reduce disease pressure. Meanwhile, stricter oversight of cross-border livestock transfers is essential to prevent pathogen spread.

The promise and skepticism of functional feeds
One of the central themes of the discussion was functional nutrition. In Thailand, with increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use and move toward antibiotic-free production, functional ingredients could serve as alternatives. Yet, cost remains a barrier. Without clear field data demonstrating consistent performance improvements and links to profitability, feed mills and farmers remain hesitant to fully embrace functional formulations.

John provided a useful benchmark with salmon farming, where functional nutrition is widely adopted during stress periods, such as seawater transfer and has been linked to measurable performance gains. The shrimp sector may learn from this model. In Ecuador, farmers use functional feeds throughout the production cycle as part of a broader strategy to manage the disease. In Asia, premium functional feeds priced significantly higher than standard diets have struggled to gain widespread adoption. Lower cost formulations with select additives like organic acids or beta glucans are more acceptable, but farmers remain cautious due to their high expectations.

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Fishmeal production* in March 2026 fell 38% year on year, and cumulative first-quarter production was down 28% versus 2025.

Fish oil output* was also lower, but the decline was less severe: cumulative first-quarter output was down 12% with regional resilience, with Denmark/Norway and Spain.

Enrico Bachis, IFFO’s Market research director stated,

“Peru’s anchovy quota for the first 2026 season has been set at 1,914,049 tonnes, equivalent to 27% of the estimated biomass. The current biomass estimate is about 31% higher than the one from September 2025, although it is 35% lower than the March 2025 estimate and around 17% below the average for January–March surveys between 1996 and 2025.”

He provided insights into the current season in North Central Peru, where fishing bans have been imposed in several areas due to the high presence of juveniles. Peru’s fishmeal and fish oil production generally represents 20% of global output in an average year.

* This data is based on statistics shared by IFFO members in Chile, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Norway, the UK, the USA, Peru, South Africa and Spain, accounting for 40% of global fishmeal production and 50% of fish oil output.

China’s fishmeal demand faces growing pressure despite current stability
China, a key driver of global aquaculture and marine ingredients demand, has not yet seen the usual fishing rebound season that typically occurs in February and March.

Market data indicates that, up to March 2026, domestic aquaculture output and aquafeed production for major specialty farmed species increased year on year. Elevated stock levels of certain species have continued to support aquafeed output and fishmeal usage. However, these high inventories may discourage restocking in the next production cycle.

At the same time, farm-gate prices for species such as largemouth black bass, snakehead and yellow catfish remain weak. This could prompt farmers to scale back production in the coming season. If these conditions persist, feed ingredient demand is likely to decline in the third quarter, which is typically the peak period for aquaculture activity.

In the pig sector, piglet prices have recently eased due to oversupply and weaker-than-expected demand. Farmers restocking at current levels may face losses, as market-weight pigs would be sold in approximately six months under unfavourable price conditions.

As a result, short-term demand for piglet feed and fishmeal could soften. Piglet demand normally peaks between March and June. However, given a recovery in pig prices over the coming weeks, demand could be improved.

Soybean meal prices have fallen amid oversupply and weaker demand, while corn prices have remained broadly stable. According to China’s Customs, soybean imports in the first three months of 2026 were down 3.1% year on year.

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Hendrix Genetics today announced the publication of its new Sustainability Report, outlining how sustainability is embedded across its breeding programs, operations and partnerships, and how the company is strengthening its long-term approach to responsible animal genetics.

Active across species and regions, Hendrix Genetics contributes to food production systems worldwide through its animal genetics expertise. Its breeding programs affect animal performance, welfare, efficiency and farming outcomes. The Sustainability Report highlights how these responsibilities are addressed within a strengthened, long-term sustainability strategy.

Richard Maatman, Chief Executive Officer of Hendrix Genetics said,

“We operate at a point in the value chain where our choices have long-term consequences.”

He added,  

“This report shows how sustainability is embedded in our breeding programs, our operations and our partnerships.”

Building on years of responsible practice, Hendrix Genetics has refined its sustainability approach to better reflect changing expectations from society, customers and regulators, while staying closely connected to day-to-day decision-making. The report describes the integration of sustainability considerations across three strategic pillars: Care for Animals, Climate Resilience and Social Entrepreneurship.

With a focus on long-term progress, the company emphasizes Innovation, Collaboration and measurable improvement. Genetics plays a central role in this approach, contributing to healthier animals, more efficient use of resources and improved resilience across different production systems and geographies.

“Sustainability delivers impact when it is tangible and actionable,”

said Naomi Duijvesteijn, Global Sustainability Director at Hendrix Genetics.

“Our strategy brings focus and accountability to the topics where we can make the greatest difference – for animals, for people and for the planet.”

The new Sustainability Report also increases transparency on how Hendrix Genetics understands and manages its environmental and social impacts, including insights into greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, circularity, workforce topics and responsible sourcing. It highlights how global policies are combined with local implementation, allowing the company to operate consistently while responding to different regional realities.

As Hendrix Genetics continues to develop its sustainability approach in the coming years, its ambition remains unchanged: to set a benchmark for responsible animal breeding and help build food systems that are resilient, inclusive and sustainable for future generations.

The Sustainability Report is available as of today and provides further detail on the company’s strategy, governance and initiatives.

Strengthening aquaculture communities

The report mentioned its participation in AquaGene Vietnam since 2025. Hendrix Genetics joined the ShrimpTech Vietnam consortium and introduced AquaGene Vietnam, a project focused on advancing shrimp genetics and supporting Vietnam’s rapidly growing aquaculture sector. The consortium brings together Dutch and Vietnamese partners, including Rynan Technologies, Larive International, and Lugten Aquaculture, to create an integrated, innovation-driven ecosystem. AquaGene Vietnam was presented at the Vietnam-Netherlands Business Forum, highlighting strong Dutch Vietnamese collaboration and our commitment to sustainable aquaculture.

ShrimpTech Vietnam rejects siloed approaches and instead applies a multi-partner, system-level model. Each organization contributes complementary expertise: from nutrition and environmental management to shrimp health, microbiology, feeding behavior, and governance. This structure allows challenges to be addressed holistically, ensuring solutions that are sustainable, scalable, and grounded in evidence. The full report can be accessed online via this link.

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Bühler Group, a global leader in processing equipment for food, feed, and advanced materials, is launching its new generation of extrusion systems. With Nutrex 7 Series, the Swiss family-owned company is responding to increased market requirements for food safety, efficiency, and user-friendliness. The first extruders have already proven themselves in operation at customer sites and are delivering trusted reliability with improved functionality.

Food and feed manufacturers worldwide are operating in a rapidly changing market environment. Requirements for greater food safety are constantly increasing, while every minute of machine downtime for cleaning or maintenance means the loss of valuable production time. With this in mind, Bühler’s engineers set to work with the goal of improving process hygiene, increasing productivity, and integrating the latest digital technologies. Building on 40 years of reliable extrusion manufacturing for cereals, snacks, pet food, meat alternatives, food ingredients, and much more, one central element remained unchanged: the proven twin-screw extrusion technology that has been serving reliably in hundreds of machines around the world for decades.

“We focused on a holistic approach based on four main categories: hygienic design, process stability, integrated intelligence, and service excellence, all with the aim of increasing Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) for our customers,”

says Stefanie Hardtmann, Product Manager Value Nutrition at Bühler.

Designed for modularity and efficiency

With Nutrex 7 Series, Bühler addresses the diverse requirements of various applications using a modular concept. Since extrusion technology is used to manufacture a wide range of products across different industries, the system must be designed for different process requirements. What all applications have in common is that the systems must be operated safely. In the food industry and pet food sector, high hygiene requirements and maximum uptime in 24/7 operation as well as high performance ranges are the priority. Covering this broad spectrum required a holistic approach.

“Here, we drew on four decades of experience based on hundreds of installed systems around the world. A decisive factor was viewing the extrusion system as a whole in the context of the food processing chain,”

explains David Meile, Project Manager R&D at Bühler. The Nutrex 7 Series was developed in close collaboration with customers.

Hygienic design in the spotlight

An important aspect is access to the machine during cleaning. The easier the access, the more efficiently cleaning can be carried out and the faster the system can be put back into operation. Nutrex 7 Series is designed in every respect for short and efficient cleaning processes.

“Externally, we focused on a slimmer design for the extruder. The elevated base frame creates more ground clearance, and the hydraulic box has been integrated from the base frame to the side of the extruder. This allows direct access with cleaning equipment, simplifying cleaning and shortening cleaning time,”

says David Meile.

This hygiene concept is complemented by new cleaning solutions such as the patented Cleaning Lance, which enables effective internal cleaning, raises the hygiene level, and at the same time improves safety for operating personnel. The system is made of stainless steel and designed for wet cleaning from both the outside and the inside. The concept is supported by new automation and digital service solutions. Options such as CCP (Critical Control Point) Monitoring and the OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) app help continuously monitor processes, document deviations traceably, and support targeted corrective measures. This can reduce the effort required for audits and validation. In addition, together with RedLog, Bühler offers the Extrusion Kill-Step Validation Service, which provides customers with a robust basis for evaluating extrusion as a critical process step.

Measurable benefits thanks to digital solutions

Another central component is integrated intelligence. The fully revised control system is the flagship of Bühler’s automation strategy, which aims to standardize all machine and plant control systems on a single platform by 2030.

“An extruder is not simply a machine, but an integrated process step in the food industry. Our new visualization concept does justice to this complexity and maps the various processes – such as preconditioning, weighing, extruding, and cutting – schematically across various levels. In addition, the control system is completely browser-based, meaning the processes can be monitored and controlled from anywhere,”

explains Adrian Staerkle, Team Manager R&D Automation Software at Bühler.

With these new features, operators can detect any messages and alarms more quickly and reduce downtime. Thanks to location-independent monitoring, they can devote time during production to other tasks such as quality control. The system is complemented by new control hardware with a hygienic stainless-steel 24-inch screen, designed for expandability and incorporating the latest components.

The new StepFlow is also a technical milestone. When starting up an extrusion process, the operator’s experience is crucial to reach full production as quickly as possible and keep product waste to a minimum. The StepFlow function now gives customers the option of leaving the ideal settings for start-up and shutdown directly to the machine, based on Bühler’s expertise gathered over decades in hundreds of systems. “The StepFlow function allows the fastest start-up procedure to be achieved automatically, based on pre-defined production values,” explains Adrian Staerkle.  Thanks to the StepFlow, customers can avoid up to 30% waste per run and further increase process efficiency.

Services as a differentiating factor

With its service network, Bühler offers modular solutions for different service requirements and bundles them into a dedicated service package. Specific service components such as Vibration Monitor, Oil Condition Monitor, Spare and Wear Parts Packages, and Expert Services make it possible to monitor the condition of the system in a targeted manner, make maintenance predictable, and further improve availability. In this way, Bühler supports its customers in strengthening productivity and innovation in a targeted way, while ensuring reliable operation, plannable maintenance, and additional operational safety.

Proven in the field

Bühler’s close partnerships with its customers enabled the team to develop Nutrex 7 Series with producers from various areas such as pet food, extruded flours, and cereals, and to test them in industrial operation. One of the first test customers for Nutrex 7 Series is Kärntner Mühle in Austria. Decades ago, the company expanded its portfolio and added the production of specialty mixes for the baking industry to its traditional flour production. Martin Kropfitsch, owner and Managing Director of Kärntner Mühle, says:

“As the first customer of Nutrex 7 Series, we were closely involved in the development process. The collaboration with Bühler was partnership-based and practical. We were particularly impressed by the simple integration into our existing line and the significantly simplified handling. The intuitive control system makes day-to-day operation noticeably easier.”

Additional Nutrex 7 Series units are in operation at test customer sites. The system is available for order and delivery immediately. Stefanie Hardtmann sees the launch as another milestone in Bühler’s long history.

“For 166 years, Bühler has been launching new processing technologies with the goal of making its customers more successful. With Nutrex 7 Series, we are seamlessly continuing this tradition and offering food and feed producers worldwide a system that equips them for the challenges in their markets. It can be used flexibly, meets the highest hygiene requirements, and is equipped with the latest control technology for smooth and efficient operation.”

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