The Hindu Business Line : Shrimp hatcheries, farms unite to improve quality

Roadmap
Hatcheries and farms with good production practices to be certified.
Certification and registration to be made mandatory for hatcheries.

Chennai May 11 Shrimp farmers and hatchery operators have come together to improve quality of shrimp seeds and farm management after "more than usual levels of disease outbreaks" in farms in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, according to Mr V. Balasubramaniam, Joint Secretary of Tamil Nadu Coastal Aqua Farmers Federation.

Impact

Shrimp hatcheries in Tamil Nadu supply seeds not only within the State but also to farms in southern parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat.

Improving the systems in the hatcheries here would have an impact across all the shrimp production centres, said Mr Balasubramaniam, who is also General Secretary of the Prawn Farmers Federation of India.

This year, when farms started stocking seeds, there was a major outbreak of viral diseases. The problem is due to the output at the hatchery level and due to farming practices, he said.

Lost seeds

Over 20 million seeds, representing about one-fifth of the production of the farms in the first season starting in March, have been lost.

It is too late to restock the ponds and they would simply have to wait for June-July for the next season, he said.

In Andhra Pradesh, the largest shrimp production centre, the losses are estimated to be several folds higher, he added.

At a meeting in Chennai on Thursday, farmers and hatchery operators agreed to form a committee that would certify hatcheries and farms with good production practices.

The decision was taken along with the Tamil Nadu Chapter of the All-India Shrimp Hatcheries Association.

Testing for virus in mother shrimps and seeds is a necessity.

Hatcheries routinely test only the seeds, he said.

Mandatory certification

According to Mr S. Santhanakrishnan, President of the Society of Aquaculture Professionals, agencies such as the Aquaculture Authority and the MPEDA will soon make certification and registration mandatory for hatcheries.

It would beneficial for hatcheries to adopt recommended practices including testing of the mother shrimps and the seeds.

The joint committee would visit the hatcheries and farms for inspection and approval, he said.

According to representatives of the hatchery association, there are over 75 hatcheries along the coast between Chennai and Pondicherry.

Of these, about 30 are in operation at any given point in time.

The total annual output is estimated at about a billion seeds.

Introducing regulatory systems at the hatchery level would have a beneficial effect down the line.

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