With the trial farming of vannamei shrimp culture in brackish waters proving to be a successful one, Kerala can now look forward to commercialising it.
The first of its kind harvest carried out by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) here has proved a success, achieving a better growth rate and 85 per cent survival of the species. KUFOS had started the trial farming of Vannamei shrimp in four ponds at its regional station in Puthuvypen in March. As part of this model farming system, 40,000 specific pathogen free (SPF) seeds of Vannamei shrimp were released into one pond in an area of 1,000 sq m.
After 94 days, a catch of 650 kg was harvested from one pond itself. The trial farming also proved that 5.5-6 tonnes of Vannamei could be produced from one hectare, earning a profit of ₹14 lakh. This newly-developed farming model is particularly suitable to the conditions of Pokkali rice fields.
Kerala Fisheries Minister K Babu, who participated in the harvest festival, said that the trial farming proved that this white leg shrimp can be cultured successfully in the State’s brackish water ecosystem and the pilot culture would make it easier to usher in a ‘Vannamei revolution’ in the coming years. The newly-developed Vannamei shrimp farming model will be extended to other parts of the State, he said. According to fishery experts, States such as Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu took advantage of the introduction of Vannamei in their culture basket of shrimp more than six years ago. However, Kerala was far behind even though the State emerged as a model in shrimp farming in the past.
B Madhusoodana Kurup, Vice-Chancellor, KUFOS, said that the University would extend the farming into more ponds and has plans to develop diversified farming practices of Vannamei shrimp by transferring the technology to more farmers.