[Appendix M7]

APPENDIX M
RESEARCH PROPOSALS (Cont.)

Code: P-03
IMPROVEMENT OF SHRIMP FRY TRANSPORTATION TECHNIQUES

1 PROPOSAL CONTENT AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

Importance and Significance of the Work

Introduction

This proposal is one of eight research plans comprising the initial research programme of the Brackishwater Station (BS) of the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI). These proposals have been prepared within the overall framework of the original Five Year Research Plan envisaged for the BS, but additionally take into account the present lack of experimental and laboratory facilities due to the delay in acquiring the selected site in Paikgacha. The proposed work should be conducted in the field using existing FRI staff who have already been assigned to the BS plus additional staff specifically recruited for the BS.

Since some access to laboratory facilities will be necessary, it is recommended that, until such time that construction of the BS is completed and it becomes fully operational, project staff will be based at the FRI headquarters at Mymensingh under the supervision of the CSO appointed for the BS.

The proposed two year study on the improvement of shrimp fry transportation techniques to reduce the wastage of wild fry should commence as soon as the necessary project staff are available. A second phase of the project to improve acclimation techniques to increase the survival and growth of fry stocked in ponds will have to wait until the specialist laboratories and experimental facilities are fully operational at the BS in Paikgacha.

Overview

Fisheries production in Bangladesh is extremely important to the economy. Although the capture and culture fisheries contribute about 2.9 % of the GDP and 9 % of foreign exchange earnings, fisheries products account for 6 % of the total per capita protein intake and about 80 % of the per capita animal protein intake. The estimated total fisheries production in Bangladesh during 1983–84 was 751,000 t. The production from inland waters was about 577,000 t (77 %), of which 118,400 (21 %) was contributed by aquaculture. In recent years fisheries production has declined from about 822,000 t in 1974– 75, whilst daily per capita fish consumption has fallen from 33 g in 1963–64 to 21 g in 1983–84 (a decrease of 36 %).

Even if per capita fish consumption is to be maintained at the current level, fisheries production will need to be increased to 1,100,000 t by the year 2005 in order to keep pace with the projected population growth. If daily per capita fish consumption is to reach 38 g (recommended by the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science) then production will have to be increased to 1,900,000 t. This represents an increase of about 150 % above present fisheries production levels. The Government of Bangladesh has therefore introduced an ambitious fisheries development programme in the Third Five Year Plan, to increase production from both inland and saline waters for both domestic consumption and for export (Rahman, 1986; Anon, 1985d).

The Brackishwater Station (BS) is being established by the Fisheries Research Institute to conduct research into the cultivation of brackishwater species to help meet both domestic and export requirements (Anon, 1986e, 1986g, 1987a, 1987b, 1987c; Karim, 1986a; Farmer, 1988; Muir, 1989). At the present time brackishwater aquaculture is virtually limited to shrimps of the genera Macrobrachium and Penaeus. Penaeid shrimps (mostly Penaeus monodon) currently provide an increasing source of foreign currency through exports to the USA, Europe and particularly Japan.

Brackishwater aquaculture production for local consumption is minimal. Smaller, commercially less important penaeid shrimps (Metapenaeus brevicornis and Metapenaeus monoceros) and some Macrobrachium rosenbergii are consumed locally. Small quantities of mullet (Mugil spp) are also produced as a by-product or secondary crop in some shrimp ponds.

Shrimp culture in Bangladesh started to develop in the early 1970s. At that time there was little local demand and the price of shrimp was consequently very low. The potential of farmed shrimp as a hard currency earner was quickly realised by the private sector, and within 10 years more than 26,000 ha of shrimp ponds were under cultivation. During this period the shrimp farming industry received little or no support from the Bangladesh Government. Only since 1980 with the introduction of the Second Five Year Plan (1980–85) has brackishwater aquaculture been given official recognition by the Government.

The Directorate of Fisheries has estimated that by the beginning of 1986 more than 115,000 ha had been turned over to shrimp farming activities in the whole of Bangladesh. Shrimp farming takes place in the districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. The two most important areas lie in the Khulna-Satkhira area to the north of the Sundarbans (ca 90,000 ha) and in the vicinity of Cox's Bazar (ca 24,000 ha). According to the Third Five Year Plan (1985–90) shrimp production is expected to increase from 9,000 t in 1984–85 to 34,000 t by 1989–90.

Market Demand and Economic importance

The local demand for fish is likely to approach 1.9 million t yr^-1 by the year 2005. Some of this demand will have to be met by increasing the production from existing inland waters through the introduction of improved husbandry and water management practices, however, other sources of fish will need to be sought. Bangladesh has about 2,500,000 ha of coastal tidal lands, of which about 2,167,000 ha may be suitable for aquaculture. There is therefore an enormous potential for increasing fish production through brackishwater aquaculture. So far these coastal tidal lands contribute very little to the domestic consumption of fish, although they are already an important and increasing source of foreign exchange through farmed shrimp exports.

The local demand for farmed shrimp in Bangladesh is poor since very few Bangladeshis eat shellfish. However, the international market is extremely important and a major source of hard currency for Bangladesh. It has been projected that the export value of shrimp will have increased from about US$ 57 million in 1984–85 to around US$ 225 million in 1989–90. Most of the shrimp produced in Bangladesh is exported to Japan. Recent export prices shrimp shipped to Japan are shown in Table 1.

Less emphasis has been placed on the freshwater shrimp market by shrimp processing and exporting companies. This may be a reflection of the preference for marine shrimp in Japan, which is currently the main market for Bangladeshi shrimps. There are increasing market opportunities for both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp in Europe, wilst the US market can still absorb additional imports of high grade brackishwater species (Rackowe et al, 1983).

Most shrimp farms in Bangladesh are operated on a very extensive basis, relying on natural productivity and little or no management. Current production levels generally lie within the range of <50 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 tc >300 kg ha^-1 yr^-1, although the majority of shrimp farms are operating towards the lower end of the scale. A few enterprising farmers are claiming production levels of 900 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 or more.

In the long term there is enormous potential to increase the total production of shrimp in Bangladesh. This can be achieved in two ways: first by encouraging the introduction of more intensive shrimp farming methods whereby average production could be increased to >600 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 (Table 2), and secondly by developing freshwater shrimp farming which has the potential of being even more important economically than brackishwater shrimp farming.

Table 1. Shrimp export prices (C&F Tokyo) January 1989.

Much of the area currently used for brackishwater shrimp production in the vicinity of Khulna and Satkhira, could be utilised for the production of both brackishwater shrimp during the dry season and freshwater shrimp during the rainy season. The latest estimate (1986) of the area of land under shrimp production is 115,000 ha. This leaves an enormous potential for increasing not only brackishwater and freshwater shrimp production for export, but also brackishwater fish production for local consumption.

Table 2. Characteristics of different levels of intensification of brackishwater shrimp farming. [In practice, the distinction between categories is artificial. A continuum exists between the lowest and highest levels of production.]

* Approximate construction cost for a bare site.

It is, however, essential that the importance of the Sunderbans to both the capture and culture fisheries is fully appreciated and that these forests should not be cleared for the construction of fish and shrimp ponds. This issue is the subject of another closely related research project that has been prepared for the BS:

• Impact of Aquaculture on the Mangrove Environment: code no O-04.

Literature Review

Overview and description

Brackishwater aquaculture has become increasingly important throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, especially in the cultivation of penaeid shrimp for export to Japan, North America and Europe. Both brackishwater and freshwater shrimp farming are still major growth industries in many parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America (Rackowe et al, 1983) and represent an extremely valuable element in the economy of many developing countries as a major source of foreign exchange.

Shrimp culture activities have traditionally been dependent on sources of wild or natural fry collected from coastal nursery areas in the case of brackishwater (penaeid) shrimp or river systems in the case of freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium), although there has been an increasing dependence in some countries on hatchery reared fry. Brackishwater shrimp and freshwater shrimp display quite different life cycles, which need to be taken into account when considering the exploitation or even the assessment of these resources.

Penaeid shrimps are found thoughout the tropics and sub-tropics in coastal and estuarine waters. The life cycle of most penaeid shrimps follows the same general pattern. The adults spawn offshore and each female can produce up to 500,000 eggs. The minute eggs hatch very quickly after being released directly into the water. The planktonic larvae pass through a number of distinct stages (up to six naulius stages, three protozoea stages and three mysis stages) before metamorphosis. The late larval stages and postlarvae migrate towards the coast seeking lower salinity conditions in estuarine and mangrove areas before settling on the bottom. The postlarvae grow rapidly as a result of the enormous biological productivity in these coastal ecosystems.

After spending one to two months living in these rich nursery grounds the young shrimps gradually migrate away from the coast where they eventually mzature and spawn to complete the life cycle. Widespread destruction of coastal mangroves throughout the tropics and sub-tropics has led to substantial decreases in the landings of shrimp fisheries in affected areas, and shortages of shrimp fry for stocking shrimp farms.

Freshwater shrimps (Macrobrachium spp) are found throughout the tropics and sub-tropics in most inland freshwater areas including lakes, rivers, swamps, irrigation ditches, canals and ponds, as well as in estuarine areas. Most species require brackishwater during the initial stages of their life cycle, although a few species are able to complete their life cycle in inland saline and freshwater lakes. Some species prefer clear riverine conditions, whilst others (including Macrobrachium rosenbergii) are found in extremely turbid conditions.

Most Macrobrachium spp display a reversal of the migration pattern common to most penaeid shrimp. As the adult shrimps reach sexual maturity they migrate downstream into more saline conditions (≤15 ‰). As is the case amongst all the Palaemonidae the eggs are carried on the pleopods unlike penaeid shrimps. Macrobrachium spp normally produce only 5,000–100,000 eggs. The eggs hatch under brackishwater conditions and the larvae take several weeks to pass through 8–11 distinct larval stages before completing their metamorphosis.

The postlarvae begin to migrate upstream into freshwater conditions one to two weeks after metamorphosis and are soon able to swim and crawl against rapidly flowing currents. They are able to climb vertical surfaces and cross land provided that there is abundant moisture available (New & Singholka, 1985).

As yet there have been no thorough investigations on the magnitude of the brackishwater and freshwater shrimp fry resources of Bangladesh, although it recognised that the main collection centres are Satkhira, Khulna and Cox's Bazar (Funegaard, 1986). Such studies have, however, been conducted in most countries where a sizeable shrimp culture industry has developed. These investigations have usually involved penaeid shrimps, although a few have been conducted on Macrobrachium spp.

Important constraints on the development of shrimp farming include shrimp fry collection techniques, transportation and subsequent acclimation in the shrimp ponds (Funegaard, 1986; Verghese, 1978). The techniques used for collecting the fry are often inefficient, and large numbers of fry of shrimp, fish and other commercial species are wasted during the process of sorting. The survival of those shrimp fry that are finally retained for stocking purposes is usually seriously reduced due to careless handling, totally inadequate transportation methods, and absence of proper acclimation practices before stocking.

Shrimp transportation methods vary from the extremely primitive, as practised in Bangladesh, to the very sophisticated, as used by state of the art shrimp hatcheries with controlled reproduction (Anon, 1988d; Hamid & Mardjono, 1979: SEAFDEC, 1985a, 1986; Selvaraj et al, 1980, 1982; Singh et al, 1982). Some of these have been developed from earlier fish fry transportation techniques (Gangstad, 1980; Woynarovich & Horvàth, 1980).

Shrimp fry produced in hatcheries are usually packed in 15–25 l double polyethylene bags which in turn are placed inside cardboard, wooden or styrofoam boxes. Each bag contains 5–10 l of water of the same salinity as the water in which the shrimp were raised. The fry are held without food for several hours before packing in order to reduce the build up of excretory products during transportation. About 5,000–15,000 postlarvae (PL₁₅) are then placed in each bag before it is inflated with oxygen and sealed. The density is dependent on the duration of the journey. Shrimp fry are usually transferred at night and ice is used to keep the temperature down. On arrival at the shrimp farm, the fry are carefully acclimated to the new salinity and temperature conditions before being released into the growout or nursery pond.

In Bangladesh, shrimp fry are generally transported in 20–30 l aluminium water vessels, using any available form of transportation. The water may be changed during the course of the journey, although this is not always the case. If the water is changed it is normally carried out without any regard for the salinity, although common salt is sometime used in a misguided attempt to create brackishwater conditions. Shrimp fry are not acclimated before stocking (Karim, 1987).

Quinaldine (usually applied as the more soluble quinaldine sulphate) can be used to anæsthetise shrimp at concentrations below 25 mg l^-1, although muscle necrosis can occur as a side effect (Tareen & Farmer, 1983). Anæsthetics (in particular MS-222) are often used in the transportation of fish fry, however, they are not generally used for shrimp even in the most advanced shrimp hatcheries.

Although there is an enormous potential for the development of both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp farming in Bangladesh, there is relatively little scientific literature available in respect of the shrimp resources of Bangladesh. It is therefore very important that basic scientific data on the both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp should be obtained in order to exploit the full potential of these resources.

Current Status of Shrimp Culture in Bangladesh

Most shrimp farming has developed within polders created by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in low-lying coastal flood plains. These activities have been started without the consent of the BWDB, and one of the major concerns has been the creation of unauthorised sluice gates or channels through the perimeter dykes of the polders. Only those areas that are low enough to permit inundation of the land by at least 0.5 m of water at spring tides have generally been used for shrimp farming.

Only two species are deliberately stocked in ponds: Penaeus monodon and Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Of these P monodon is by far the more important. Other species of penaeid shrimps are also cultivated, through the accidental introduction of their fry when the ponds are filled or water exchange takes place. These include: Penaeus indicus, Penaeus merguiensis, Metapenaeus monoceros and Metapenaeus brevicornis.

Shrimp farming in Bangladesh relies entirely on the supply of wild fry for stocking purposes. It has been estimated that 1–3 billion fry of P monodon were harvested in 1985. The main collection centres are Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat and Cox's Bazar. At present, most fry collection for P monodon is conducted within the rivers and creeks of the coastal flood plain. It has been suggested that there may be a huge unexploited resource within the Sundarbans.

Collection of shrimp fry is carried out using either a fixed bagnet (behundi jal) which relies on tidal streams in small rivers and creeks to carry postlarval shrimp into the codend, or alternatively triangular (or less frequently rectangular) nets which are pushed or pulled along the bed of the river or creek. In Cox's Bazar shrimp fry collection is also carried out along the beach. In the Khulna-Satkhira area the peak season for shrimp fry is February-May, whilst at Cox's Bazar it is April-June.

Shrimp fry collectors transfer their catches to earthenware bowls which are then carried back to the villages where the fry are sorted and counted by children using white enamelled plates. This undoubtedly results in a very large wastage of fry of both penaeid shrimps and other commercially important species including fish. The shrimp fry then pass through a chain of middlemen before reaching the shrimp farmers, during which the fry are usually transported in 20–30 l aluminium vessels using every conceivable form of transport. Shrimp fry mortality is believed to be very high, due to extreme water temperature and salinity fluctuations, low dissolved oxygen levels, and even the use of table salt.

The price of P monodon fry in the Khulna-Satkhira area has risen dramatically from about Tk 40–50 in 1980 to Tk 400–600 per thousand (postlarvae of ca 15 mm total length) in 1988. The price of shrimp fry is much lower in the vicinity of Cox's Bazar being only Tk 40–100 per thousand for fry of a similar size.

Macrobrachium fry (postlarvae and juveniles) are collected in the Khulna region for stocking freshwater or low salinity brackishwater shrimp farms. There are no estimates available on the number of fry collected annually. Fry are available in the Khulna area from April onwards with the peak demand occurring in July. The price of Macrobrachium fry in the Satkhira area in 1986 was Tk 500–1,000 per thousand (25–50 mm total length), although at Paikgacha prices were only half this figure. Hatchery reared Macrobrachium fry produced in Cox's Bazar were being sold in 1988 for Tk 440 per thousand (15–20 mm total length).

In the Khulna-Satkhira area the shrimp farming pattern, often in rotation with agriculture, reflects the ambient seasonal salinity fluctuations in response to the monsoon:

January-July [high salinity season]:

• Culture of brackishwater shrimp and fish.
• Harvesting of marketable individuals.

August-December [low salinity season]:

• Continued culture of under-sized shrimp and fish in low-lying areas subject to the salinity tolerance of the species.
• Culture of freshwater shrimp and fish.
• Cultivation of slightly salt-resistant aman rice in more elevated areas.
• Harvest of residual brackishwater shrimp and freshwater shrimp.

In the Cox's Bazar area this pattern may be reversed due to the generally higher ambient salinities. Therefore some farmers produce salt during the the dry season and brackishwater shrimp during the rainy season.

Most of the shrimp farming is carried out within larged dyked areas (polders or ghers). Transplanted aman rice can be grown from August-December, when water and soil salinities are low. Agricultural crop production from January to July is difficult due to the shortage of freshwater and increased salinities in the soil. Acid sulphate soils may also present special problems in some areas.

Before the recent and rapid growth of shrimp farming, the land used to be left fallow during the dry season and used instead for grazing cattle and water buffalo. Animal dung remaining on the land, if not collected for fuel, would help to increase the production of aman rice in the following rainy season. The loss of grazing has resulted in very serious conflicts in land use in some areas.

Until recently all shrimp farmers, either individually or in groups, have leased land within BWDB polders. In some cases the land has been seized from the rightful leaseholders by force. The BWDB perimeter dykes are deliberately breached and wooden sluice gates or reinforced concrete culverts installed before repairing the dykes. The ponds, which may extend up to 500 acres (200 ha) or more, are usually allowed to remain dry during January after harvesting the rice. The stubble is left in place. The ponds are then flooded during spring tides.

Since the early 1980s the Government of Bangladesh has played an active rôle in improving the level of shrimp farming husbandry and technology. Screens to prevent the entry of predators and competitors have become much more widespread, in combination with the selective stocking of fry. Simple nursery production methods have been introduced in some cases through the construction of a shallow nursery pond within the confines of each growout pond. Pond preparation, liming, fertilisation, pest control, nursery production, supplementary feeding and water management have only started to be introduced during the last five years, and even now are employed in only a few areas.

Recently P monodon production has been increased by the more enterprising farmers from <50 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 to >300 kg ha^-1. In the case of the Allah-Wala shrimp farm at Cox's Bazar, production of up to 900 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 was claimed during 1988.

There are plenty of signs that shrimp production levels in Bangladesh will continue to rise as a result of the gradual introduction of more intensive practices. At the present time, however, most farms are operated on an extensive basis, with relatively few examples of semi-intensive production.

A major constraint to the future growth of the shrimp farming industry is likely to be the supply of wild fry of both freshwater and brackishwater species for stocking purposes. As yet, no survey of the extent and abundance of the shrimp fry resources has been attempted. It is known that the current shrimp fry collection techniques are wasteful and it is suspected that the mortality of the fry both during collection and transportation is unacceptably high. It is most important that issues are addressed in the interest of developing the full potential of the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh.

Previous Research in Bangladesh

Some research on the development of brackishwater shrimp cultivation has already been completed at Chittagong University (sponsored by BARC) and the Directorate of Fisheries.

Chittagong University:

• Culture of plankton for feeding fish and prawn larvae to be used in mariculture (1977–1982). [BARC.]
• Biology and production of prawn, Penaeus monodon (1977–1982). [BARC.]
• Development of technology of production of seeds of golda chingri, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (1977–1982). [BARC.]

Directorate of Fisheries:

• Shrimp culture demonstration project at Satkhira: demonstration of improved culture techniques; provision of practical training for fishery officers, identification of the socio-economic support required to assist small scale shrimp farmers. [FAO/BOBP.]

The first of the public sector shrimp farming activities in Bangladesh was the Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP) shrimp farm at Satkhira. This semi-intensive demonstration and research unit has recently been taken over by the Gramin Bank and is now known as the Satkhira Shrimp Farm.

Very little by way of practical research results is available from these various projects.

Present Status of Research in Bangladesh

Research on shrimp culture is currently being undertaken or alternatively being planned by the Fisheries Research Institute, the Directorate of Fisheries and Chittagong University. In most cases this work has only started recently and few research results are available. Some of this work is sponsored by BARC, whilst the rest is supported by ADB, FAO/UNDP and the World Bank. The various projects are summarised below:

Fisheries Research Institute:

• Establishment of the Brackishwater Station (formerly designated the Brackishwater Fisheries Research Station) at Paikgacha. Part of the World Bank Second Agricultural Research Project. [WB/FAO/UNDP.]

Directorate of Fisheries:

• Marine fisheries research, management and development. Physico-chemical and biological studies of the estuarine environment in the Cox's Bazar region and coastal aquaculture experiments. [JICA/FAO/UNDP.]
• Aquaculture development project: establishment of a penaeid hatchery at Cox's Bazar; setting up a shrimp culture estate in the Chakaria Sundarbans, and establishment of a hatchery at Cox's Bazar. [ADB.]
• Expansion of shrimp/fish culture in coastal districts: establishment of two experimental pond complexes (Khepupara and Charfesson) and provision of extension services in improved culture techniques. [In house.]
• IDA Shrimp Culture Project: upgrading of 5,600 ha of existing shrimp farms in the Cox's Bazar and 1,400 ha in the Khulna districts; provision of operational funds to the farmers of the above upgraded farms; provision of credit for an additional 2,500 ha of existing farms not upgraded through the Project's direct efforts; demonstration and extension of improved culture techniques; provision of training for fishery officers and farmers. [IDA/FAO/UNDP.]

Chittagong University:

• Studies on growth and quality of shrimp and mullet wth supplementary feeds (1986 onwards).

The largest of the Government shrimp farming projects is the IDA Shrimp Culture Project which is being adminstered by the Directorate of Fisheries. The Project comprises two parts: one near Khulna and another south of Cox's Bazar. The budget for the entire project is 117 crore Taka (US$ 36.5 million). The six year Project (1985/86 to 1990/91) involves the development of 3,500 acres (1,405 ha) of shrimp-cum-paddy farming in the Khulna area, most of which will be leased to individual farmers as 10 acre (4 ha) ponds. This part of the Project will also operate a demonstration farm and a hatchery, and provide an extension service for the leaseholders and other local farmers.

The second part of the IDA Shrimp Culture Project based at Cox's Bazar will comprise a penaeid shrimp hatchery and 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of shrimp ponds at Rampura within an existing polder with a perimeter of 39 miles (62 km). Single 10 acre (4 ha) ponds will be leased to individual shrimp farmers. A further 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) have been earmarked for subsequent development by the private sector. In the long term it is planned to establish a total of nine private hatcheries. A 22 acre (9 ha) demonstration farm and training centre will be built soon on a site already selected at Teknaf.

The ADB shrimp farming project at Rampura, also near Cox's Bazar, comprises a 50 acre (20 ha) demonstration shrimp farm for penaeid shrimps and a further 1,715 acres (700 ha) for private farmers. The concept is the same as for the IDA project in that single 11 acre (4 ha) ponds will be leased to 115 individual shrimp farmers. The demonstration farm comprises 13 growout ponds of 13.4 ha each and four smaller nursery ponds.

As soon as the Brackishwater Station of the Fisheries Research Institute has been constructed and becomes fully operational, the FRI will play an increasingly important national rôle in the development of the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh.

2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The overall purpose of this research project is to improve existing shrimp fry transportation techniques currently used in Bangladesh in order to increase the supply of shrimp fry for stocking purposes by reducing mortality and wastage. The project will cover both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp fry. The study area will include the Sundarbans and tidal floodplains of the southwest of the country and in addition the Cox's Bazar area. Shrimp fry transportation techniques in use in neighbouring countries will also be evaluated during the course of the project.

Two other closely related projects are also planned for the research programme of the BS. These are:

• Survey and Assessment of Shrimp Fry Resources: code no O-01
• Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques: code no O-02.

Thorough co-ordination of the individual tasks of these three project will be necessary in order to ensure the most effective use of resources and field data.

Field Survey (Bangladesh)

Objective: To identify the various shrimp transportation techniques currently being used in Bangladesh.

[Field Survey (Neighbouring Countries)]

Objective: To identify the various shrimp transportation techniques currently being used in neighbouring countries.

Field Testing of Existing Techniques

Objective: To test all currently available shrimp fry transportation techniques (both from Bangladesh and from neighbouring countries) for both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp.

Evaluation of Existing Techniques

Objective: To evaluate all currently available shrimp fry transportation techniques in terms of wastage and the survival of fry.

Modification and Re-Evaluation

Objective: To modify, test and re-evaluate the most effective shrimp fry transportation techniques.

Report Preparation

Objective: To prepare a final report consisting of a description of the work undertaken during the course of the project, the methodology, the results and final recommendations for the most suitable and effective types of shrimp fry collecting gear and techniques for use in Bangladesh.

Project Management

Objective: To provide overall technical and administrative control of the research project, co-ordination with other projects, other sections of FRI and other Government agencies, and the preparation of concise quarterly progress reports covering both research and administrative issues.

3 WORK PLAN SUMMARY

Work Plan Summary

This project has been designed to provide basic data for the future research programme of the BS once the laboratory and experimental facilities are fully operational. The information collected by the project will provide an important data base for the future development of the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh and especially important input to two other projects:

• Survey and Assessment of Shrimp Fry Resources: code no O-01
• Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques: code no O-02.

The field work of the two year project will commence with a thorough survey of shrimp fry transportation techniques currently employed in both Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. This will involve visits to shrimp fry collection areas in Bangladesh.

This will then be followed by a period of eight months during which the various transportation techniques will be tested and evaluated in terms of wastage and the survival of the shrimp fry.

Based on this evaluation, the most effective techniques will be refined, tested and re-evaluated before selecting the most appropriate methods for both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp fry in Bangladesh.

The testing of shrimp fry acclimation techniques will not be included in this proposal, as to conduct these properly it will require the use of the experimental facilities of the BS. If, however, the BS becomes full operational before the end of this project, then the development and testing of acclimation techniques for subsequent introduction in Bangladesh could be incorporated within the project.

The implementation of this project will additionally provide an excellent opportunity for research and technical staff recruited for the BS to gain useful field experience in survey and research activities prior to the BS becoming fully operational. This should make the process of commissioning the BS and implementing the full research programme a much easier task for the appointed CSO. The project can also be used to provide ad hoc training for technical and support staff during its two years' duration.

Task Scheduling

The scheduling of the major project activities or tasks is summarised in Table 3. The field survey of shrimp transportation techniques in neighbouring countries is not specifically included in this project, since this task has already been incorporated into a similar task in the closely related project no O-02 the Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques.

The field surveys of both collection and transportation techniques in neighbouring countries can be usefully combined into a single task. It will therefore be necessary for projects O-02 and P-03 to be conducted simultaneously or to overlap. Since project no O-01 for the Survey and Assessment of Shrimp Fry Resources will also require input from project O-02, all three projects should be closely co-ordinated. For this reason it is strongly recommended that the same principal investigator should be appointed for all three projects and that the projects should all be carried at approximately the same time.

Table 3. Activity chart (time scale: units of 2 months).

- Project activity/task.
* Reporting date.
# Included in project no O-02 (Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques).

4 METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES

The methodology and procedures to be utilised in this project have been kept as simple as possible in order to permit the completion of the project without the need for the specialised facilities which will eventually become available at the BS. There will, however, be some need for laboratory work and it is proposed that this should be undertaken at the Fisheries Research Institute's Freshwater Station laboratories at Mymensingh and the Marine Station at Cox's Bazar.

The project is designed to improve the techniques utilised for the transportation of both freshwater and brackishwater shrimp fry in Bangladesh in order to reduce wastage and mortality.

Preparation of the Work Plan

At the start of the project the principal investigator should translate the project proposal into a written and detailed work plan which should be approved by the CSO of the BS before the research investigations get underway. This work plan should define the following elements: project objectives; detailed methodology; equipment and consumable requirements; logistic support requirements; areas requiring co-operation or co-ordination with other projects or sections of FRI; staff assignment and manpower requirements, and reporting deadlines. A period of one month has been allowed for the preparation of the work plan and its approvalby the CSO of the BS.

Literature Review

Before commencing the field work components of the project, a thorough review of the literature should be made. The bibliography appended to this proposal not only includes references for those citations incorporated in the text, but also recommendations for background reading. The FRI Library and Documentation Centre should obtain as many as possible of these references before that start of the project. These should be reviewed and digested by the principal investigator and his scientific staff at the beginning of the project. A period of two months has been allowed for the completion of this task.

Field Survey (Bangladesh)

An initial period of two months will be spent visiting the main shrimp fry collection centres in the Khulna-Satkhira and Cox's Bazar areas of Bangladesh. All the components of the shrimp fry distribution system will be investigated in order to follow the transportation techniques and the fate of the shrimp fry from the time that they leave the collectors until they arrive at the shrimp pond or farm. These will include but not necessarily be limited to:

• The process by which the collectors sell their shrimp fry to the wholesalers or middlemen
• Details of the chain of middlemen who operate between the collectors and the farmers
• Details of the transportation techniques utilised at all stages in the distribution of fry
• The process by which the farmers obtain their shrimp fry from the wholesalers or middlemen
• The time taken for the shrimp fry to reach the farmers from the time of collection
• Transportation patterns and routes currently being used
• The survival of the shrimp fry from collection to stocking
• Details of acclimation techniques used by the farmers, if any

A photographic record of the types of gear used in the transportation of shrimp fry should be made in order to permit subsequent testing and evaluation of existing and introduced techniques.

[Field Survey (Neighbouring Countries)]

[Project O-02 (Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques) includes visits to a number of neighbouring countries for a period of up to two months in order to collect data on alternative shrimp fry collection and separation methods. It is recommended that during this period the opportunity is taken to visit a number of shrimp hatcheries in order to gain direct experience of the more refined shrimp fry handling and transportation techniques employed by state of the art shrimp hatcheries. These should include Thailand (freshwater shrimp), Taiwan (brackishwater shrimp) and the Philippines (brackishwater shrimp).

In order to avoid unnecessary duplication of work and additional expense, additional visits to neighbouring countries are not included in this proposal.]

Field Testing of Existing Techniques

The various techniques (employed in both Bangladesh and neighbouring countries) will be tested in the field at selected locations. These tests should be designed to estimate the survival of shrimp fry on arrival at the their intended destination and for at a further period of at least 72 hours. The number of fry at the beginning of the journey and the number of healthy fry arriving at the other end of the journey should be recorded.

After arriving at their destination, the surviving shrimp fry should be kept in clean water and be provided with oil-free æration. The temperature should not be allowed to increase above the ambient temperature of the water where the fry were collected. The number surviving after a minimum of 72 hours should also be recorded. A minimum of four examples (providing four replicates) of each technique should be used.

It is very important that the fry used for these studies are obtained from a known and reliable source. In fact it may prove feasible for project no O-02 (Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques) to supply the fry. Commercial transportation and delivery of shrimp fry should also be monitored for comparison on the same basis.

During these trials basic water quality parameters should be measured at hourly intervals. These measurements should include: water temperature; salinity; dissolved oxygen content and, if possible, nitrogen levels (NO₃-, NO₂-, NH₃ and NH₄+) resulting from excretion.

Water temperature

Water temperature should be measured by using a standard mercury thermometer capable of being read to 0.1 °C.

Salinity

Salinity should be measured using a temperature compensated salinity refractometer capable of being read to 1.0 ‰.

Dissolved Oxygen Content

Dissolved Oxygen content should be measured using a portable oxygen meter capable of being read to 0.1 mg l^-1.

pH

pH levels should be measured with a portable pH meter capable of being read to 0.1 pH unit.

Nitrogen

Nitrate, nitrite, total ammonium and free ammonia levels should be monitored if at all possible, however, these will require the use of a select ion/pH meter with separate NO₃-, NO₂- and NH₄+ electrodes, or spectrophotometer. If ammonia levels are to be monitored, then pH must also be measured simultaneously in order to determine the relative dissociation of ammonium ions into free ammonia. Free ammonia is many times more toxic than ammonium ions. [See section 6 ANNEXE for the dissociation relationship.] Minimum water quality requirements for those parameters to be measured are provided in Table 4. Details of analytical methods for water quality are available in Strickland and Parsons (1968) and Boyd (1979).

Table 4. Basic water quality requirements for tropical shrimp.

A period of eight months has been allocated to this task. In view of the complexities of scheduling the various trials, it is essential that a rigid programme is adhered to, otherwise it will not be possible to complete all the gear tests within the time allowed.

Evaluation of Existing Techniques

Statistical analysis and evaluation of the results should follow immediately after the initial testing programme. This should be completed within a period of two months and result in recommendations for modifications to the techniques for further testing and re-evaluation. It will also include estimates of the survival of various sizes and species of shrimp fry for each technique tested.

Modification and Re-Evaluation

A period of four months has been allowed for the retesting of modified transportation techniques. It will not be possible to define this task until the initial evaluation task has been completed.

[It should be noted that the output from this project in terms of the improvement of shrimp fry transportation techniques will provide an important input into the related project no O-01 (Survey and Assessment of Shrimp Fry Resources).]

Specialist Equipment Requirements

The following specialist equipment and supplies will be required:

• Salinity refractometers (temperature compensated) [× 2]
• Portable dissolved oxygen meters* [× 2]
• Select ion/pH meter with separate NO₃-, NO₂- and NH₄+ electrodes or Spectrophotometer
• Portable pH meters [× 2]
• Vernier callipers [× 2]
• Low power stereoscopic microscopes [× 2]

* Supplier: Yellow Springs Instrument Company Inc, USA.

Manpower Requirements

The project will require the following manpower:

* Shared with the other two shrimp fry projects (O-01 & O-02).

It is recommended that the same principal investigator should be appointed for the following three projects in order to ensure efficient co-ordination of the related tasks, on the premise that all three projects should be undertaken at the same time or at least should overlap:

• Survey and Assessment of Shrimp Fry Resources: code no O-01
• Improvement of Shrimp Fry Collection Techniques: code no O-02
• Improvement of Shrimp Fry Transportation Techniques: code no P-03.

Budget Estimates

The budget estimates will be prepared by BS/FRI staff at a later stage.

Project Management

The principal investigator (team leader) will be responsible for the day to day technical and administrative management of the project under the overall direction of the CSO of the BS. Until such time that the BS is fully operational, administrative support will have to be provided by the FRI at Mymensingh.

Assignment of individual work tasks and the timing of those tasks will be the responsibility of the principal investigator in collaboration with the CSO of the BS and the principal investigators of other projects. Since the BS will not be operational for some time, the project will need to utilise laboratory facilities of the FS at Mymensingh and the MS at Cox's Bazar. The success of the project will therefore be dependent in part on the degree of co-operation between BS, FS and MS scientific staff.

Efficient co-ordination between the CSOs of the BS, FS and MS will permit the shared use of facilities and equipment until such time that the BS becomes fully operational. Where project staff are not required on a continuous basis, they should be temporarily assigned to other projects in order to make the most effective use of their time. It may be possible to combine field sampling and other field work with related projects in order to use FRI and BS resources as efficiently as possible.

The principal investigator will be responsible for the initial planning of the field investigations, monitoring of the data collection and analysis, and in conjunction with the other members of the team, interpretation of the results and report preparation. The principal investigator should meet with his project team on a weekly basis to ensure schedules are being met and to resolve problems or other project-related issues.

Reporting

Quarterly progress reports and a final project report should be prepared by the principal investigator with assistance from the other team members. The responsibility for the quality of the quarterly and final reports and their submission on time will be the responsibility of the principal investigator alone. It must, however, be recognised that administrative support to achieve this end will need to be provided by the FRI until such time that the BS is fully operational, after which it will become the responsibility of the CSO of the BS.

The CSO of the BS will also be responsible for reviewing the progress and final reports and making sure that the individual activities of the project have been completed properly and on time. Delays and other problems affecting the success of the project should be identified as early as possible so that corrective action can be taken.

5 BIBLIOGRAPHY

It should be noted that the bibliography contains not only those references cited in the text of this proposal, but also suggestions for additional background reading prior to the start of the project.]

Ali, M Liaquat, 1983. Shrimp farm survey in coastal area of Bangladesh, Dhaka. [Mimeographed.]

Anonymous, 1979. Draft final report, Annexe B. Proposed fisheries components for an agricultural credit project. Agricultural Credit Studies Project. Prepared by Nathan Associates, USA on behalf of the Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka.

Anonymous, 1984a. National Water Plan Project. Second interim report, vol VII - Fisheries. Master Plan organisation, Ministry of Water Development and Flood Control, Bangladesh. Prepared by Harza Engineering Co Int.

Anonymous, 1984b. Bangladesh coastal aquaculture project engineering study. Draft report, vol 1. Prepared by Development Consultancy Services Ltd and Engineering Consultancy Services Ltd, Dhaka on behalf of the World Bank.

Anonymous, 1985a. Delta Development Project: Bangladesh-Netherlands Joint Programme under the Bangladesh Water Development Board. Shrimp culture in the semi-saline zone of the delta. Technical report no 13, volume I, 60 pp. Arnhem and The Hague, The Netherlands.

Anonymous, 1985b. Delta Development Project: Bangladesh-Netherlands Joint Programme under the Bangladesh Water Development Board. Shrimp culture in the semi-saline zone of the delta. Technical report no 13, volume II, 102 pp. Arnhem and The Hague, The Netherlands.

Anonymous, 1985c. Report on tidal areas study. Draft report prepared by Development Consultancy Services Ltd and Engineering Consultancy Services & Associates Ltd, Dhaka on behalf of FAO.

Anonymous, 1985d. List of projects for the Third Five Year Plan. Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh.

Anonymous, 1985e. Report on engineering study. Vol 1: Bangladesh coastal (aquaculture project. Prepared by Development Consultancy Services Ltd and Engineering Consultancy Services Ltd, Dhaka on behalf of the World Bank.

Anonymous, 1985f. Twenty year fishery development plan for Bangladesh. Prepared by John C Marr & Associates on behalf of FAO/UNDP.

Anonymous, 1986a. Bangladesh Second Aquaculture Development Project. Preparation report. Prepared by Aquatic Farms Ltd, Hawaii, USA on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank.

Anonymous, 1986b. Draft feasibility report on package 1: Khulna Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation Project (TA no 665-BAN). Vol I. Prepared by Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC), Seoul, South Korea in association with Associated Consulting Engineers (Bangladesh) Ltd.

Anonymous, 1986c. Draft feasibility report on package 1: Khulna Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation Project (TA no 665-BAN). Vol III. Prepared by Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC), Seoul, South Korea in association with Associated Consulting Engineers (Bangladesh) Ltd.

Anonymous, 1986d. Socio-economic impact and constraints of shrimp farming in Bangladesh. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, project proposal no 4, 59 pp.

Anonymous, 1986e. Brackishwater Aquaculture Research Station (BARS): design - phase 1. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 3, 22 pp.

Anonymous, 1986f. Research plans for nutrition and feed technology. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 4, 146 pp.

Anonymous, 1986g. Research plans for the Brackishwater Fisheries Research Station (BFRS). Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 5, 24 pp.

Anonymous, 1987a. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh. Five Year Masterplan: General research plan. FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010. Arnhem: Euroconsult BV, 149 pp.

Anonymous, 1987b. Brackishwater Fisheries Research Station (BFRS): design - phase 2. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 13, 125 pp.

Anonymous, 1987c. Five Year Masterplan: Equipment and civil works (final version). Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 14, 26 pp.

Anonymous, 1987d. Advice on literature. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 15, 50 pp.

Anonymous, 1988a. Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Fisheries Research Institute (FRI): Revised project. Mymensingh: Fisheries Research Institute, 112 pp.

Anonymous, 1988b. Project of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Integrated resource development of the Sundarbans reserved forest. UNDP project document, BGD/84/056/A/01/12, 27 pp plus annexes.

Anonymous, 1988c. Regional overview, status of facility and coastal aquaculture research proposals. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 19, pag var.

Anonymous, 1988d. Consulting services for detailed design of improvement of tambak water supply in Simpang Ulim, Acen Province. Final report: O & M manual. Prepared by PT Spektra Adhya Prasarana in association with ELC-Electroconsult Spa on behalf of the Directorate of Swamp, Republic of Indonesia, pag var.

Apud, F D, 1982. Handling and rearing of hatchery-produced shrimp postlarvae from small-scale hatcheries. Working Party on Small-Scale Shrimp/Prawn Hatcheries in Southeast Asia, 16–21 November 1981, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. FAO/UNDP South China Sea Fisheries Development and Co-ordination Programme, Manila, Philippines, report WP/81/SPH/CP-12, pp 87–94.

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1986. 1986 Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh. Dhaka: Ministry of Planning, 1048 pp.

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1985. Statistical Pocket Book of Bangladesh 1984–85. Dhaka: Ministry of Planning, 654 pp.

Boyd, C E, 1979. Water quality in warmwater fish ponds. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn University, Agricultural Experimental Station.

Chowdhury, A Q, 1986. Fishermen community and development of closed water fishery in Bangladesh. [Mimeographed.]

Euroconsult BV, 1985. Government of Bangladesh and FAO/UNDP. Second Agricultural Research Project - Fisheries Component. FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010. Technical assistance report no 1 (revised version). Arnhem: Euroconsult BV, 90 pp.

Funegaard, P, 1986. Shrimp seed - Any to sell? Come to Satkhira, Bangladesh. FAO Bay of Bengal News, no 22.

Gangstad, E O, 1980. Transportation of fish eggs, fry and young. [From: Culture of Freshwater Fish in China. Peking: Science Publishers (1966). Translated by T Y Koo and C Walker.] In: Weed control methods for Public Health Applications. Florida: CRC Press Inc, pp 235–244.

Hamid, S N & M Mardjono, 1979. Improved method of shrimp fry transport. Bulletin of the Brackishwater Aquaculture Development Centre, Jepara, 5 (1–2): 326–333.

Karim, M, 1986a. Site selection for the Brackishwater Fisheries Research Station (BFRS). Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 11, 44 pp.

Karim, M, 1986b. Integrated farming of shrimp, fish, paddy and goat at Satkhira. FAO Bay of Bengal report, Madras, India.

Karim, M, 1986c. Brackishwater shrimp culture demonstration in Bangladesh. SIDA/FAO Bay of Bengal Programme, Madras, India, report BOBP/REP/35, 40 pp.

Karim, M, 1987. Brackishwater aquaculture in Bangladesh: A review. Fisheries Research Institute - Bangladesh, FAO/UNDP TA Project BGD/83/010 report no 12, 36 pp.

Kibria, C, 1983. Prawn and shrimp resources of Bangladesh, Dhaka. [Mimeographed.]

Mahmood, N, 1986. Effects of shrimp farming and other impacts on mangroves of Bangladesh. Paper presented at the Workshop on Strategies for the Management of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems, Bangkok, Thailand, 23–25 June 1986. FAO Fisheries Report, (370): 46–66.

Majumder, M R, 1983. Shrimp culture status and extent in Cox's Bazar area, Dhaka. [Mimeographed.]

Motoh, H, 1977. An annotated list of scientific and English common names of commercially important penaeid prawns and shrimps. SEAFDEC Technical Report no 2, 15 pp.

Muir, J F, 1989. Finalisation of engineering plans, Brackishwater Research Station, FRI, Paikgacha. FAO/FIRI report, 5 pp.

New, M B & S Singholka, 1985. Freshwater prawn farming: A manual for the culture of Macrobrachium rosenbergii. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, (225): 118 pp. [Revision 1.]

Rackowe, R, H Branstetter, D King & G Kitson, 1983. The international market for shrimp. ADB/FAO Infofish Market Studies, 3: 79 pp.

Rahman, M A, 1986. Socio-economics of aquaculture development. Country paper - Bangladesh. Paper presented at the Workshop on Socio-Economics on Aquaculture Development sponsored by NACA, 28–31 October 1986, Bangkok, Thailand.

SEAFDEC, 1985. How to transport and acclimate prawn fry. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Technical Manual no 2, 23 pp.

SEAFDEC, 1985. Floating cage nursery for tiger prawn. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Technical Manual no 3, 35 pp.

SEAFDEC, 1986. Important fish and shrimp fry in Philippines coastal waters: Identification, collection and handling. SEAFDEC Extension Manual no 10.

Selvaraj, G S D, K N Gopalakrishnan, K Rengarajan & K J Mathew, 1982. Experiments on the packing and transportation of prawn and mullet seeds. Proceedings of the Symposium on Coastal Aquaculture, Cochin, 12–18 January 1980, Part 1: Prawn Culture. Symposium Series of the Marine Biological Association of India, (6): 425–426.

Selvaraj, G S D, K J Mathew & K N Gopalakrishnan, 1980. Techniques for the collection and transportation of prawn seeds. CMFRI Marine Fisheries Information Service and Technical Extension Series, (19): 11–12.

Singh, H, A R Chowdhury & B B Pakrasi, 1982. Experiments on the transport of postlarvae of tiger prawn Penaeus monodon Fabricius. Proceedings of the Symposium on Coastal Aquaculture, Cochin, 12–18 January 1980, Part 1: Prawn Culture. Symposium Series of the Marine Biological Association of India, (6): 232–235.

Smith, W G, 1982. The tidal study area. A preliminary report. Fisheries Resources Survey System FAO/UNDP, Dhaka. [Mimeographed.]

Strickland, J D H & T R Parsons, 1968. A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bulletin of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, (167): 311 pp.

Tareen, I U & A S D Farmer, 1983. Shrimp Pathology Manual. Kuwait: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, 116 pp. [Copy deposited in the FRI Library and Documentation Centre.]

Verghese, P U, 1978. Trade in cultivable prawn seed. Indian Seafoods, 13 (4) & 6 (2): 8–11.

Wickens, J F, 1976. Prawn biology and culture. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review, 14: 435–507.

Woynarovich, E & L Horvàth, 1980. The artificial propagation of warm-water finfishes - A manual for extension. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, (201): 183 pp. [See pages 138–143.]

Table 5. Percentage of free ammonia (NH₃) in aqueous* ammonia solutions in relation to temperature (0–30 °C) and pH (6.0–10.0).

* Freshwater.

Notes:

As salinity increases the percentage of free ammonia is reduced slightly. For the purposes of water quality management in aquaculture the difference between fresh and saline water is insignificant.

The relationship is based on the following two expressions:

pKa = 0.09018 + (2729.92/t),

where pKa is the ionization constant, and t is the temperature in degrees Kelvin (°K); and

% unionized NH₃ = 1/[10^{(pKa - pH)} + 1]