by
Ong Kah Sin
Mr. Chairman, Dr. Rabanal,
Mr. Budi Wijarso, Representative of the Directorate General of Fisheries,
Indonesia and the Central Java Provincial Fisheries Service,
Mr. Keith Meecham, Representative of the FAO/UNDP,
Distinguished Participants and Observers,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I would like, on behalf of all the Participants of this Working Party on Small-Scale Shrimp/Prawn Hatchery, to express our gratitude to the FAO/ UNDP/SCSP for sponsoring this Working Party, and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, in particular the Directorate General of Fisheries, for the very comprehensive and hospitable host arrangements which have greatly contributed to the success of this Working Party.
The culture of shrimp/prawn is accorded the highest priority in the plans for aquaculture development in the region, in view of the potential of increasing the income level of coastal fishermen/aqua-farmers through the development of shrimp/prawn culture. However, whilst traditional shrimp/ prawn culture, based on natural seeds, has been practised in the region for many years, much remains to be done to achieve the much-desired expansion and intensification of shrimp/prawn culture in the region. The major constraints encountered have been the inadequacy of shrimp/prawn fry, at a reasonable or low price to the farmers, and the lack of a proper pond grow-out system. The deliberations of this Working Party have provided the participants with a state-of-the-art review of shrimp/prawn hatchery design and operations in the region, and indicated areas for further research and development in the future.
The participants have also had the opportunity of seeing at first hand the recent advances in hatchery development in Indonesia, and are particularly impressed with the gonadal maturation of Penaeus monodon in captivity and the use of locally available raw materials in the construction of small-scale shrimp hatcheries in Jepara.
The participants will be returning home from this Working Party with renewed interest and fresh ideas in the research and development of shrimp/ prawn hatcheries, and also fond memories of the warm hospitality enjoyed during their brief stay in Indonesia.
For all these, I would therefore like, on behalf of all the participants, to express our sincere thanks to the FAO/UNDP/SCSP for sponsoring this Working Party, and to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia for the wonderful host arrangements.
Thank you.
