The first obstacle that country’s shrimp industry has, is lack of good quality PL. Most of the hatcheries in the country are using extensive method which is not suitable for getting optimum results. The broodstock in this system are unable to get proper nutrient which is required for desired result.

Utilizing live polychaetes during the maturation phase of penaeid shrimp broodstock enhances the quality and quantity of shrimp nauplii (larval stage) produced. In various regions of the world, laboratories for the maturation of shrimp use polychaetes captured from the natural environment; however, due to biosecurity concerns, this practice poses significant biological risks to the industry. Therefore, a source of high-quality maturation feeds that enhance shrimp reproduction and pose no biological hazards is required.

One of the factors that contribute to the success of shrimp hatchery operations is the availability of good-quality broodstock diets. Polychaetes have been regarded as the best maturation diet for shrimps as they contain essential nutrients required for the reproduction of shrimps. Consequently, the demand for polychaetes increased with the intensification of shrimp farming. Thus the natural stocks are depleting gradually and, could no longer provide a sustainable supply for shrimp hatcheries. In addition, the issue of biosecurity concerning wild polychaetes prompted the shrimp farmers to obtain polychaetes from reputable sources. Hence, the culture of polychaetes under controlled conditions has become a sustainable alternative.

Established in 2022, Niribili polychaete Worm farm is the leading polychaete-producing farm in Bangladesh. The farm is located in Sonar Para, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. Its current production capacity is 2 metric tons a year. Dr. Ishaque Shariff, a zoologist from Berhampur University, and former senior researcher of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) India developed the farm With Niribili Fisheries Ltd.

Niribili polychaete Worm farm produces disease-free, live polychaetes (Perinereis nuntia) in Bangladesh. Polychaetes supply beneficial enzymes, amino acids, and essential hormones to stimulate reproduction in shrimp broodstock. The Bangladesh shrimp industry requires about 200 kilograms of marine worms a day.

For the culture of polychaete, specialized cement tanks (7x 2.5 x 0.3 meters), filled with a layer of coarse sand of 7mm are required. The tanks are not aerated but water is pumped in and out of the tanks to simulate natural tides.

Spawning is natural using six-month-old worms. Three days after hatching, 2,000 larvae polychaetes are moved into the grow-out tanks and harvested in four months. The survival rate is 30% from egg to the three-day-larval stage, and by harvest time, only 600 polychaetes remain in each tank.

the growing worms are given formulated feeds and a special nutritional supplement thrice a day. Before harvest, however, the feeding rate is increased to five times a day. Overall, the feed conversion ratio is 1:1.

In-coming water is treated before use and during the culture period. Probiotics are applied regularly to control water quality and toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide.

All production is passed through strict disease checks. The health certification covers checks for numerous diseases such as white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), EHP. MBV Taura syndrome virus (TSV), infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV), vibriosis, parasites, and protozoa.

Bangladesh’s fisheries industry is one of the most dynamic food-producing industries, with the largest inundated wetland and the third largest aquatic biodiversity in Asia, after China and India. Shrimp, however, contributed the most to Bangladesh’s export fisheries sector.

There are over 80 hatcheries located throughout the country, 52 of which are active shrimp hatcheries. The annual demand for shrimp PLs exceeds eight to nine billion. Bangladesh shrimp hatcheries have produced 8-13 billion shrimp annually over the past five years.

Polychaetes however can contribute to the increased production of shrimp in Bangladesh. Its culture has been already proven viable. In general, hatcheries can get quality and more production of shrimp seeds. Research shows that by feeding shrimp broodstock with P. nuntia at 20-30% of their body weight per day, the broodstock can produce 2.5-3 million nauplii. This is double the production from broodstock feed.

Moreover, Bangladesh can export polychaetes to the global markets. Polychaetes are regarded as the most expensive (£/kg) of marine animals sold on the global fish market.

During 2021-22, India imported 2,76,346 numbers of SPF broodstock of Pacific white shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, and almost 300 MT polychaete worms that are used in shrimp hatcheries as a maturation diet. Almost 300 MT of polychaete worms is used in shrimp hatcheries in INDIA as a maturation diet.  In the same year, Bangladesh also imported 5000 kg of polychaete for BDT 6000/KG

It was concluded that polychaete landings alone in the UK annually are worth approximately £52 million. Globally, this number is around £5.8 billion, with 121,000 tonnes of polychaete being landed worldwide. Presently, these worms are sourced from the wild and may potentially transfer pathogens to shrimp brooders. Therefore, the scientific production of SPF polychaete worms is the key to pathogen-free quality shrimp seed production.

Niribili Shrimp Hatchery is the first generation hatchery in Bangladesh. Niribili Shrimp Hatchery grew to be one of the largest shrimp hatcheries in Bangladesh by boasting a production capacity of 20 crores (200 million) of post-larvae black tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon) per cycle. Under the experienced direction of Dr. Ishaque Shariff, polychaete production at the hatchery is presently advancing at a rapid rate.

Dr. Ishaque Shariff said: ‘Our target is to produce 40 metric tons per year in the next 5 years and export globally. we sell live, frozen, freeze-dry polychaetes too.’

According to Dr. Ishaque Shariff the only constraint in polychaete farming is the lack of Skilled manpower. He hoped in the future Bangladesh may lead in the farming sector among Asian countries while also exporting by meeting local demands.

‘We can help you know how to farm polychaete and help build your polychaete plant’, he added.

Bangladesh is a densely populated country of 147 570 km² with a population of 130 million people. It is fortunate in having an extensive water resource in the form of ponds, natural depressions lakes, canals, rivers, and estuaries covering an area of 4.56 million ha.

Fisheries and aquaculture play a major role in nutrition, employment, and foreign exchange earnings with about 12 million people associated with the fisheries sector, of which 1.4 million people rely exclusively on fisheries-related activities. Through polychaete farming, it may be possible to increase shrimp production, thereby boosting the economy of the country.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

The post Polychaetes commercial farming begins in Bangladesh appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

According to Jahangir Sarkar, polychaetes usually live one foot deep in the salty clay in the coastal mangrove areas of Bangladesh. They closely resemble earthworms. Inspired by the usage of polychaetes as shrimp feed in England and China hatcheries, he started to investigate it. He then began his research using a grant from the World Bank and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council.

How did it Begin?

Professor Jahangir Sarkar said that he became inspired by the use of polychaetes in England and China and then he came up with the concept of commercial farming. Therefore, in 2018, he started research by renting an office in Satkhira and Cox’s Bazar. As part of this, eight species of polychaetes were collected from Satkhira. But there was no way of scientific and accurate identification of polychaetes in this country. So collected samples were identified in a laboratory in Brazil in a collaborative study by Prof. Joanna.

The research indicates that of the eight polychaete species obtained, Namalycastis sp, species is the most effective. This polychaetes species is plentiful year-round and a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Aside from this, among the naturally occurring polychaetes, this species is the largest compared to others.

In the laboratory, he actually determined which of the eight collected species contained the most omega-3 fatty acids. Compared to the same species in other countries, this Namalycastis sp, species in Bangladesh, contains more than twice as much omega-3 fatty acids.

Research Results

According to Jahangir Sarkar’s research, the highest-grade feed used in shrimp, crab and fish aquaculture must contain omega-3 fatty acids. This feed is crucial for the shrimp fry, mature shrimp, and crab industries too. Mr. Sarkar said, in the research, he observed that feeding the crabs (Scyla olivaceae) with snail flesh, various formulated feed, and polychaetes feed comprising Namalycastis species boosted their survival rate, body growth and ovary weight.

In addition, after feeding on polychaetes, crabs and their eggs are extremely fatty and bright orange in hue. The demand and popularity of this crab would increase significantly in the global market. Moreover, polychaetes have significant value as feed for shrimp farming and marine ornamental fish, particularly due to their capacity to stimulate up to 70% of the development of shrimp gamete cells.

“Supplemental feed made from omega-3-containing polychaetes will play an important role in crab fertility and crab growth when used as crab feed. Apart from this, using polyketides as feed in hatcheries will open new horizons of shrimp farming, which can be an important tool for earning foreign exchange in Bangladesh,” he said.

Polychaete Prospects in Bangladesh

A large number of crab and shrimp are cultivated in Satkhira, Khulna, Cox’s Bazar, and Bagerhat areas of Bangladesh. In 2019-20, the total production of shrimp in the country was about 2.7 million metric tons. Apart from this, in 2019-20 there were about 43 Bagda Hatcheries and 33 Galda Hatcheries in the country. About 792,000 king prawn fry and about 236,000 crab fry have been produced in these hatcheries.

Jahangir Sarkar said that in the shrimp hatcheries in the southwestern part of Bangladesh, a large number of shrimps get sick and even die. The farmers have to count the losses. All in all, the country’s foreign exchange is decreasing in the case of shrimp export. Besides, the country’s standard feed and shrimp quality cannot be maintained.

However, shrimp hatcheries in northern England and China are having great success using polychaetes. They use polychaete as feed for juvenile and adult shrimp. This provides numerous benefits. First, the application of polychaete reduces the mortality of shrimp fry in the hatchery. Second, the egg production rate of shrimp increases by two and a half to three times. About 270 metric tons of polychaetes are produced annually in those two countries

“so, the use of polychaetes to generate formulated feeds will reduce shrimp mortality and greatly enhance output,” he added.

Feed comprises 40–60% of the operational cost of a farm. The reduction of feed prices and the production of high-quality feed is one of the most critical concerns in aquaculture. Fish meal production is restricted by its high price, and fish feed manufacturers are compelled to adopt alternate ingredients. In this case, polychaete might be an important raw material for the production of fish food.

Scenario Around the Globe

Currently, polychaetes are cultivated for shrimp production in several countries. 12 of the 81 families of polychaetes are cultivated globally. According to the FAO fisheries and aquaculture database, 314 tons of Polychaeta were caught in 2016. The global yearly harvest of polychaetes for bait is estimated to be 121,000 metric tons per year.

Polychaetes are among the costliest marine species marketed worldwide (retail price per kilogram), with a price tag of $200 USD kg. About 22 species of polychaetes are harvested in Asia and considered as the region with the largest polychaetes variety. In Africa, seven polychaete species are recorded. Europe has been documented as harvesting twenty polychaete species from the families Arenicolidae, Eunicidae, Lumbrineridae, Nephtyidae, Nereididae, Onuphidae, Sabellidae, Serpulidae, and Spionidae.

Moreover, shrimp hatcheries in northern England and China are having great success using polychaete as feed for juvenile and adult shrimp. The application of it reduces the mortality of shrimp fry in the hatchery. In addition, the egg production rate of shrimp also increases by two and a half to three times. About 270 metric tons of polychaete are produced annually in those two countries.

Future Plans with Polychaete

Mr. Jakir, one of the research assistants from the team said that “polychaete are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which is vital for the aquaculture industry. Additionally, this is fantastic news for the crab farmers in our country. In Bangladesh, polychaete research is not yet well-known. In our investigation, we discovered the significance of polychaetes, which will considerably benefit our fishing industry. Therefore, if the government and various firms take polychaete farming into consideration, we hope that Bangladesh will take a step forward in fisheries.”

“The head of our team, Professor Dr. Jahangir Sarkar will continue his research on it. He is very optimistic about polychaetes. We have also found benefits in using live polychaetes (Nemalikastis species) in crab farming in another study of ours. Therefore, we will continue our research to bring out more prospects of this valuable organism,” he added.

Now, we can be optimistic too that Polychaete can play an aiding role to the fisheries industry in the country. Now, what it takes is to let industry people know about it and let commercial standard polychaete farms be developed in Bangladesh. Furthermore, commercial cultivation of polychaete may bring foreign exchange once the local demands are fulfilled.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Science, NSTU

The post Polychaete in Bangladesh, can be a game changer for shrimp and crab culture appeared first on Seafood Network BD.