Shrimp used to hold the position of being the second-largest export product contributing to foreign exchange earnings in Bangladesh. Spread across 1,52,496 hectares of land, shrimp cultivation heavily relies on fry supplied by hatcheries, particularly those in Cox’s Bazar, catering to regions such as Satkhira, Khulna, and Bagerhat.

Broodstock, sourced from the deep sea by ships, serve as the foundation for fry production. However, in March, the harvest yielded fewer than 5,000 broodstock. It was about 20-34 thousand by 40 ships during this time earlier. Each mother shrimp has the potential to yield up to 60,000 fry.

The Shrimp Hatchery Association of Bangladesh (SHAB) Secretary General, Mohammad Najibul Islam, reported that despite setting a target of 500 million fry, only 250 million were produced by Cox’s Bazar’s 30 hatcheries. This shortfall has led to market crises, with many resorting to the illegal sale of low-quality fry.

Recent observations at Balaka Hatchery in Sonarpara revealed a specialized production process for fry from mother shrimp. Despite efforts, the hatchery fell short of its target of producing 110 million fry, managing only 52 million due to the broodstock shortage.

The production cost per hatchery has surged, now standing at $0.005. Transporting each “fry” to Satkhira via cargo plane costs $0.0012 totaling $0.0057 per fry. However, the market is flooded with low-quality disease prone fry priced at $0.0027 to $0.0032, resulting in losses for hatcheries.

Mother shrimp take 30 days to hatch from eggs, and within 25 days, the fry must be released into the enclosure. Hatchery managers, like Md. Alamgir of Kalatali Beach Quality Shrimp Hatchery, have been purchasing mother shrimp at additional costs to sustain fry production despite rising expenses.

Concerns over the hatchery’s vulnerability to high temperatures have prompted the use of cargo aircraft for swift fry delivery from Cox’s Bazar to Khulna-Satkhira. However, the reduction in available cargo planes from four to two has disrupted transportation, resulting in increased shrimp-fry mortality during lengthy road journeys.

SHAB President Ashek Ullah stressed the importance of timely supply of quality fry to sustain Bangladesh’s shrimp industry, which annually contributes over 3000 crores to foreign exchange earnings. Efforts are underway to address the shortage of mother shrimp and control shrimp diseases, ensuring the industry’s stability and growth. District Fisheries Officer, Badruzzaman, highlighted ongoing initiatives in this regard.

The post Bangladesh shrimp industry suffering severe crisis of Black Tiger broodstock, fry production goes half appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

The blue blood of the Horseshoe crab is precious to the pharmaceutical and microbiological industries, which astounds zoologists. Owing to its therapeutic qualities, it has a high demand on the global market.

A gallon of Horseshoe crab’s blue blood costs sixty thousand US dollars. In addition to blue blood, it is used to make soup, which is highly beneficial due to its high level of beneficial properties. The upper hard shell yields a material known as “chitosin,” which is utilized for manufacturing a variety of goods.

The hatchery was established on a 40-acre oceanfront part of the land in the Rejukhal estuary by scientists from the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (Bori). The area is bordered by bamboo. 119 Horseshoe crabs total—71 male and 48 female—were first released by the hatchery after being collected from the shore.

Since August 2021, scientists from the Institute of Marine Research have been conducting research on Horseshoe crabs. Scientists believe that Horseshoe crab blue will make a big contribution to the economy.

“The research that Bori is doing on Horseshoe crabs is quite encouraging,” said the director general of the institute, Professor Dr Touhida Rasheed at Cox’s Bazar.

“The Horseshoe crab is going to have a significant economic impact. A hatchery has been built for this reason on the beach next to Bori in order to advance the scientific endeavors,” She added.

The former principal of India’s KN College of Basic Science, biological oceanographer, and Horseshoe crab expert, Dr. Govind Chand Biswal is under the technical supervision of this research program of Horseshoe crab. 

He said, “The hatchery is a good place to start research on horseshoe crab. The behaviors of the Horseshoe crab will be recognized through the research.”

Govind Chand Biswal said, “There are two types of Horseshoe crabs in Bangladesh. Among these, there is a large stock of ‘Carcinocarpius rotondocda‘ in the mangrove region of Maheshkhali. Thousands of Horseshoe crabs come here to lay their eggs every year during the breeding season. After that, the molecule hatches from that egg and goes to the sea after being nurtured in the natural environment.”

Tariqul Islam, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Marine Research Institute (BORI) said, “Horseshoe crabs are found mostly on sandy beaches. This hatchery is also conveniently located. 71 male and 48 female Horseshoe crabs collected from the sea coast have been released in this hatchery.”

However, experts are concerned since the number of Horseshoe crabs has been dropping annually.

Even just a few years ago, flocks of Horseshoe crab could be seen in tidal areas of various coastal areas including Cox’s Bazar. But the animal has disappeared from the vast coast.

It is alleged that a powerful syndicate has caught and smuggled Horseshoe crabs from various coastal areas of Bangladesh to various countries including Thailand. As a result, the animal is gradually disappearing.

However, even though the animal has disappeared from a wide area, Horseshoe crab is still struggling to survive in the mud-sandy areas surrounded by mangrove vegetation and various islands of Cox’s Bazar district. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the animal is on the red list in Bangladesh.

Therefore, prompt actions to preserve this species are required along with research on its economic potential.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

The post Road to blue economy: Horseshoe crab hatchery set up in Cox’s Bazar appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

After successful trial-based cultivation of Vannamei shrimp in three farms in the southern coastal region, the govt allowed its commercial farming in Bangladesh as they showed significantly higher yields compared to locally farmed black tiger (P. monodon) or Bagda shrimp. Now, the purpose of allowing experimental production is to reduce the dependence on imported Vannamei PLs and increase their availability for local farmers.

The Desh Bangla SPF Hatchery, which is registered under the Department of Fisheries, will be responsible for conducting the experimental production activities for Vannamei shrimp PL. These activities will be carried out under strict biosecurity management, as specified by the department.

In order to proceed with the experimental production of Vannamei shrimp PLs, it is mandatory to obtain permission from the Department of Fisheries. This permission is required to take the necessary steps for importing SPF (specific pathogen free) Vannamei shrimp brood.

To avoid any contamination, the Department states that the experimental production of Vannamei shrimp PLs and the existing production of Bagda shrimp PLs should be conducted in separate parts of the same hatchery, maintaining fully confined conditions.

Frozen food exporters, who have been advocating for the government’s permission to cultivate the non-native Vannamei shrimp for over a decade due to declining export earnings, have expressed their satisfaction with the decision.

The Department of Fisheries, initially hesitant to grant permission due to concerns about potential negative impacts on biodiversity and the environment, started allowing experimental culture of the Pacific whiteleg shrimp in 2019 and declared as successful in the end of 2022.

The post Bangladesh DoF authorized the trial production of Vannamei shrimp PL appeared first on Seafood Network BD.