Mai Chung
APAC Regional Manager for Aquaculture Feed Additives
ADM Animal Nutrition
Vietnam
Mai has 15 years of experience in aquaculture. Between 2010 and 2015, he actively worked on voluntary sustainable aquaculture certifications, such as ASC and GlobalGAP. He was involved in developing the first audit manual for ASC standards related to pangasius and shrimp. Additionally, Mai led the implementation of several projects by organisations like FAO, DANIDA, and WWF to promote better management practices in aquaculture.
Subsequently, Mai worked for companies to promote new technologies, particularly feed additives. From 2021 to 2023, he was in charge of business development at Benchmark Genetics Shrimp, where he brought Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) and Specific Pathogen-Resistant (SPR) vannamei broodstock from Benchmark’s advanced breeding program to the APAC region.
Mai holds a Master’s degree in Animal Science from Francois Rabelais de Tours University, an engineering degree in aquaculture from Nha Trang University, and has completed a certified feed processing technology course from Kansas State University.
| Session | Future Proofing Shrimp Aquaculture: To Ensure the Continuation and Development of the Industry |
| Presentation | Next Generation Thinking – Formulation for Sustainability |
Abstract
Farmed shrimp is a commodity with a global trading value of approximately USD68 billion a year. Asia and Latin America are the two regions that produce the majority of the shrimp traded. In Asia, shrimp are commonly farmed using a super-intensive model, while in Latin America, the extensive model is more common. Over the past two decades, shrimp productivity has improved rapidly, increasing from 0.5-3 tonnes/ha to the current 30-60 tonnes/ha.
However, the expansion of shrimp production also comes with several burdens such as the use of water, land, energy and forage fish. Despite current challenges such as low farm gate prices, diseases, profitability, and tariffs, sustainability remains a key challenge for the next 10 to 20 years.
This presentation provides a comparative analysis of the Asia model and the Latam model, including our current shrimp feed formula for both regions and a futuristic formula. We aim to address sustainability challenges in several areas such as feed efficiency, novel ingredients, plant-based diets, functional feed, processing technology, and genetics improvement. By doing so, we identify the key drivers for making shrimp farming more efficient and sustainable. In Asia, shrimp farming is mostly done at the family business level. The younger generation is now joining the industry, bringing innovation from other disciplines. Shrimp farming is not just a business; it is also a shrimp farmer’s legacy.