Indian Shrimp Imports to US Spike 41% in August; Total Shipments Now at Record High in 2016  August shrimp imports were just released and show a huge increase in monthly totals from all major US suppliers. US shipments are now at a record high volume through the first eight months of the year. Monthly totals in August were up about 25 percent compared to last August. Total shrimp shipments to the US market through August are up 3.5 percent at 827 million pounds, which is easily a record high for imports through the first eights months of the year. Indian imports spiked 41 percent in August compared to last August while shipments from all of the US's major suppliers, including Ecuador, trended higher for the month. Susan Chambers reports good news for the California Dungeness crab industry according to a special hearing that was held to discuss the current domoic acid situation in the waters. “Toxicity may have peaked in September," said Dr. Raphael Kudela, Lynn Professor of Ocean Health at UC-Santa Cruz. "As we transition in to winter, it may just go away," he added. Ocean temperatures off of California already are cooling, resembling a more normal weather cycle. However, the prognosis for the Dungeness seasons in Oregon, Washington and coastwide seasons in 2017 were not as positive. Those fisheries are still threatened by the 'blob' of warm water off the Pacific coast. Experts testified that the blob could still cause toxic algae blooms off the Oregon and Washington coasts into the winter months. In other news, Cooke Aquaculture earned four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification under the program’s new two-year BAP group audit process. The audit is designed specifically for salmon producers. In total, 19 of Cooke's salmon farm sites in Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland attained BAP certification. This is largest BAP group audit for salmon farms to date. Meanwhile, the Department of Commerce published a correction to its final 10th duty rate review of Indian shrimp exporters report because it left out a rate for one company. According to an October 5 Federal Register notice, Commerce said it left out a final 2.20 percent cash deposit rate for Jagadeesh Marine Exports. That has now been added to the final tenth review and is effective today and is retroactive for shipments made between February 1, 2014, through January 31, 2015. Finally, the White House will recognize a dozen individuals from around the country as "White House Champions of Change for Sustainable Seafood" this Friday. Among the winners are the Oregon Trawl Commission's Brad Pettinger; Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association Executive Director Linda Behnken; and Seafood Harvesters of America President Christopher Brown. "The administration applauds the hard work, collaboration and sacrifice by many across the country to become responsible stewards and safeguard our seafood security," the White House said in a press release.