Prawn culture

Prawn farming plays an important role in the economy of India. Despite of several problems, the practice of prawn farming has offered opportunity to increase incomes for farmers and associated groups. The future for prawn farming is bright but requires dynamism to exploit fully. The realization of its potential must be aided by improvements in production technology and hatchery operation. In addition, research in areas such as seed and feed production may need to be given particular attention, considering existing technology, the transfer, adaption and development of new technology.

1. PRAWN CULTURE Submitted by : ANURADHA NASKAR DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY AND APPLIED AQUACULTURE BARKATULLAH UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL MADHYA PRADESH, 462026

2. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CULTURE OF PRAWN CULTURING IN PONDS CULTURING IN MIXED CULTURE CULTURING IN MONOCULTURE FERTILIZATION AND FEEDS HARVESTING MANAGEMENT AND CARE PRAWN CULTURE OBSERVED IN INDIA PRESENT STATUS AND GLOBAL SCENARIO OF PRAWN CULTURE CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION In terms of value the crustacean fisheries of India rank highest at nearly 60% of the total of the various categories of Indian fisherie s . Prawns are of considerable value and play a major role in foreign exchange. India has always been among the topmost prawn producing countries in the world. India exports prawns to various countries like the USA, Japan and Australia. Freshwater prawn farm is an aquaculture business designed to raise and produce freshwater prawn for human consumption. All farmed freshwater prawns today belong to the genus Macrobrachium .

4. CULTURE OF PRAWN Recognition of the potential of the freshwater prawn is organised culture in confined water arose from chance observation on their production in the wild in situation where seed is received directly from rivers . Macrobrachium rosenbergii has become the main freshwater prawn species for small scale and large scale farming . Formulation of the cultural practice of prawns in freshwater ponds was initiated by the CIFRI (Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute) at Rajahmundry and Cuttack centres using M. malcolmsonii . Work later began at Badampudi and Balabhadrapuram (Andhra Pradesh) using M. malcolmsonii and M. rosenbergii , respectively.

5. Macrobrachium rosenbergii Macrobrachium malcolmsonii

6. Culturing in Ponds Ponds, the same as for carp culture, are used for freshwater prawn culture with the difference that water supply invariably comes from irrigation canals or wells. Stocking is done using juveniles of 20-60 mm sizes and hence nursery rearing phase is eliminated. Prawn juveniles are stocked in stock ponds which are pre-prepared on lines similar to those used for carp culture.

7. Selection of Size at Stocking : The growing period of prawn is short, it being only 4-6 months. Studies conducted on M. malcolmsonii and on M. rosenbergii (Barrackpore,1976) indicate that at a stocking size greater than 35mm to 45mm, the growth pickup would be fast in both the species.

8. Stocking Rates : From the present knowledge, a stocking rate of 25,000 to 30,000/ha. of juveniles seems to be optimal for Macrobrachium culture ( Barrackpore , 1975,1976; Rajyalakshmi,1979). If a water flow or circulation can be maintained in ponds, the density can be raised to 40,000 to 50,000/ha.

9. Fig . Substrates have been placed vertically in this temperate zone rearing pond for Macrobrachium rosenbergii culture.

10. Culturing in Mixed Culture Culture trials conducted so far in India have been with combination of M. malcolmsonii and Indian major or minor carps. Observations indicate that with any combination of major carps, the growth rate and survival of prawns were higher. In mixed culture, maximum production of M. malcolmsonii at 30,000/ha stocking rate was 327 kg. of prawns and 2,084 kg. of fish ( Venkateswara Rao et al. 1979).

11. Culturing in Monoculture In monoculture at varying stocking rates, the maxium yields obtained were in respect of M. rosenbergii , viz., 577 to 606 kg/ha. ( Barrackpore , 1977) in a 4-months grow-out. In the case of M. malcolmsonii , productions obtained were 256 kg/ha. at 75,000/ha. s tocking rate in 6 months and 313.7 kg/ha. i n 10 months. The low survival indicates the necessity of drastic reduction in stocking density especially when no aeration or water circulation is to be done in the culture ponds.

12. Fertilization and Feeds In extensive pond culture systems, fertilization of ponds with either organic (cow dung or poultry manure) and inorganic salt (NPK) has been assigned an important role. Artificial feeds have also been used with the main objective of providing supplementary feed in addition to natural food. The feed formulae so far derived consist of the ingredients: rice bran + broken rice or groundnut oilcake or tapioca powder + fish meal or shark live meal, tubificid worms or pila meat ( Barrackpore , 1971, 1973, 1975; Rajyalakshmi , 1974 and Rajyalakshmi et al. , 1979)

13. HARVESTING Crafts : Vallom , masula , dinghi , nauk Gear : Nets,traps and hooks Net : Cast net, drag net, bag net, barrier net, dol , gholu jal

14. MANAGEMENT AND CARE Water inlets should be carefully screened The bunds of the pond should be inspected a frequent intervals Prawns are more susceptible to oxygen depletion than fish, control measures should be applied earlier.

15. PRAWN CULTURE OBSERVED IN INDIA Two major species of Macrobrachium , M. rosenbergii and M. malcolmsonii are reported to have commercial importance in many estuarine areas of India. In the state of Kerala, small amount of the harvest consists of prawns of the species Macrobrachium rosenbergii . M. malcolmsonii is an important fishery in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh state. The biology of this species has been studied and it was found that it is essentially an inhibitant of flowing waters, such as rivers and estuarine areas. These species also occurs in many other river systems in india , such as the river Mahanadi, in Chilka Lake, the waters of the river Krishna and its tributarie s , as well as in the Hoogly estuary system.

16. PRESENT STATUS AND GLOBAL SCENARIO OF PRAWN CULTURE Freshwater prawn production in India that includes farming and wild capture of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii and the monsoon river prawn , M . Malcolmsonii has increased steadily since 1999 reaching a peak output of 42 780 t in2005, but then declined to 6568 t in 2009-2010. Stunted growth and diseases in ponds because of poor seed quality and the broodstock which had been inbred over several generations; pond water quality issues; and increased cost of production on account of feed, labour and the mandatory certification requirements are suggested to be some of the factors leading to the production declines. While majority of the output occurs in Andhra Pradesh , single crop paddy prawn production systems in the low lying fields of Kerala have helped gradual trans-formation to a sustainable, organic mode of farming of both rice and prawns, suitable for other states of India. Although the trends by June 2011 indicate that the sector is set to a revival, future prospects of freshwater prawn farming in India will also depend on the expansion of white leg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei that was introduced recently in India and provided a more profitable opportunity for farming.

17. CONCLUSION Prawn farming plays an important role in the economy of India. Despite of several problems, the practice of prawn farming has offered opportunity to increase incomes for farmers and associated groups. The future for prawn farming is bright but requires dynamism to exploit fully. The realization of its potential must be aided by improvements in production technology and hatchery operation. In addition, research in areas such as seed and feed production may need to be given particular attention, considering existing technology, the transfer, adaption and development of new technology.

18. REFERENCES FISH AND FISHERIES OF INDIA – V.G. JHINGRAN AQUACULTURE TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT – UJWALA JADAV GOOGLE SEARCH