
Mai Chung
APAC Regional Manager for Aquaculture Feed Additives
ADM Animal Nutrition
Vietnam
Mai Chung 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.
Speaker | State of the Industry & Challenges |
Presentation | The Pangasius through a Macro Lens |
Abstract
The striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is a major farmed fish in Asia. It tolerates stress well and is excellent at converting plant proteins for growth. Currently, farmed striped catfish are fed diets with 95-99% plant protein meals, while other finfish usually require high dietary levels of animal protein. It was not long ago, in the 2000s, that production grew from 113,200 tonnes to 5.6 million tonnes in 2020 (The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, FAO, 2022). This is a rise of 50 times in its production volume in two decades. However, its fillet value remains low as it is not perceived as a premium product. Back in the 2010s, striped catfish faced major criticisms from media in the European Union (EU) on its production practices.
This presentation will discuss the current stage of striped catfish production in Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, and other countries. It will also include a SWOT analysis for each country as well as a close look at several aspects in the sector such as
- Financial flow
- Breakdown of production costs
- Role of by-products
- A comparison of the pangasius with poultry and tilapia
- Value added products
- State of certification and sustainability
The presentation will end with some projections of the pangasius industry for the next 10 years, and what is needed to position the fish higher in the whitefish ladder.