Asias first shrimp certification training course is planned for August in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. The four-day event is organised by the Aquaculture Certificate Council (ACC) in cooperation with the Shrimp Seal of Quality (SSOQ) programme.

The objective of the course is to produce qualified certifiers who will be able to assess and certify hatcheries, producers, processors and suppliers, ensuring that they are in compliance with environmental, social and food safety criteria. 14 With the current media attention and increasing global concern over shrimp farming activities, it is thought that those who adhere to the criteria and international codes of conduct will have much more of an advantage on the international market. The Bangladesh Shrimp Seal of Quality Newsletter is available from the NACA website at. A Seal of Quality is an internationally accepted quality assurance certification program for shrimp. It guarantees buyers that Bangladesh shrimp meet the hygiene, human rights, labour and environmental codes. The Seal is awarded to firms that meet the codes. Usually, the SOQ is owned by an industry association that polices its members. (Source: United News of Bangladesh, July 14, 2003).

Vietnamese businesses and producers have been quick to denounce the actions of the US Department of Commerce (DOC) following its recent decision that Vietnam does in fact dump catfish on US markets in an effort to undermine US catfish producers. The Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Fisheries and VASEP called it an “act of protectionism”.

It is feared that trade agreements and relationships between the two countries will be adversely affected as Vietnam sees the DOC decision as unreasonable and their calculations flawed, based as they are not on Indian production as was reported in past press releases, but Bangladeshi. It is also feared that this will lead to thousands of Vietnamese farmers facing bankruptcy. However Vietnamese organisations will endeavour to locate new markets to alleviate any adverse economic effects resulting from the ruling.

Under Bill No. HR2406 submitted to the United States Lower House Committee for Ocean Seafood and Wildlife Preservati, Vietnam and other Asian shrimp producers could face dumping charges.

Dumping is when a country exports large amounts of a product to undermine the domestic market, in this case US shrimp product. Vietnam is one of seven countries, including Thailand, India, China, Ecuador, Indonesia and Brazil, accused of this practice. Additionally, the US Southern Shrimp Association (SSA) has met with legal representatives, the Duwey Ballantine Law Firm, to investigate and prepare for a lawsuit. (Source: Vietnam News Briefs, July 11, 2003)

A newly formed shrimp foundation in Bangladesh intends to form a comprehensive database of information about the shrimp industry over the past 15 years, including training materials. This material will be available on an as-needed basis to any stakeholder in the industry, including service-providers, rights activists non-government organisations, or any other grassroots operators.

This autumn the foundation also intends to co-host a conference on Application of Standards and International Codes of Conduct in Aquacultural Extension of Developing Countries with the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). It is hoped that this will lead towards the building, operating and transmitting of a certificate system of quality control in the prevailing conditions of limited infrastructure and thousands of small-scale farmers. UN organizations like the FAO and international certifying bodies will take part in the conference.

Fisheries in Cambodia are now more valuable than the countrys rice crop, according to recent data compiled and released from the Ministry of Agricultures Department of Fisheries. Fisheries accounted for 12% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2001, represented by some 400,000 tonnes, whilst rice accounted for only 10%. This compares with fishery production estimates of 60,000 tonnes in 1984.