Shrimp Farming in India and Florida: A Comparative Analysis
By Kathy Stone
(EVR Graduate Student)
In the summer of 2005 I investigated community participation in mangrove reforestation in Karnataka India. I visited mangrove reforestation sites implemented by the Forestry Department in the Kali River estuary. Of the fourteen species of mangroves present in the Kali River region, five have been raised in nurseries and planted in the estuary by the Forestry Department. Four stakeholder groups were interviewed to determine their level of commitment to participation in mangrove reforestation in the area. Reforestation of mangroves has now begun on 2 hectares in Hoskatta Village along the Aganashani River.
Shrimp Farmers were among the stakeholder groups interviewed in Karnataka. A total of 114 shrimp farmers were surveyed with the help of students who spoke the local language, Kannada. The president of the Aquaculture Association of Karwar and Angola was also interviewed. Interviews revealed that shrimp aquaculture ventures in India are having difficulty maintaining economic sustainability. Threats to profitability include US tariffs on shrimp imports, increasing labor and power costs, and the occurrence of Shrimp virus. Concern about the spread of Shrimp virus is a predominant cause of mangrove removal in this area, because mangroves harbor crabs, and other crustaceans that are thought to carry the virus. Mangroves also attract birds that may spread the virus between farms while feeding on shrimp.
The removal of mangrove forest reduces marine nursery habitat and effluent discharge from shrimp farms into waterways, polluting marine resources.
Upon returning to the US I began an independent study to identify shrimp aquaculture processes in Florida that might be applied to shrimp aquaculture in India and other nations with the objective of reducing their ecological impacts. Interviews revealed that shrimp farmers in Florida also have great difficulty in achieving economic viability. Shrimp farming in Florida has been impacted by high land prices, state spraying for mosquito control after hurricanes, power outages, which have interrupted market supply chain, and inexpensive imported shrimp. Farmers in Florida have stressed the importance of developing a market niche to compete with import prices. Some process and label under their own brand, one produces bait shrimp for fishermen, and one operation is state funded to produce shrimp and finfish species for release to remediate the impacts of thermal pollution from the Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant. A site visit to a shrimp aquaculture farm that produces organic shrimp served as a model for sustainability. I attempted to determine if processes at this business could be applied to reducing ecological impacts in overseas shrimp farming.
Extreme precautions are taken by this farm to reduce the likelihood of visitors introducing harmful pathogens into the compound. This picture shows (behind the stop sign) a pool of disinfectant that cars must drive through when visiting the organic shrimp farm in Florida . This insures that no live organisms are carried into the compound on the vehicle's tires.
When visiting the shrimp farm, protective garments are required and hands must be washed in disinfectant to reduce the risk of disease introduction. Employees are not allowed to bring seafood products in their lunch. Even tuna sandwiches are banned.
Disinfecting visitors to prevent transmission of pathogens would not be possible in India, where shrimp farms are in close proximity to each other and to rice farms. In Karnataka, shrimp farmers often must travel past other farms on mud bunding to gain access to their own farms.
The organic shrimp farm I visited tests and produces its own shrimp feed formulas. It has developed a shrimp feed that contains 50% less fish meal than is found in commercial shrimp feed. This has the potential to reduce the number of wild caught fish used in commercial shrimp food production if it can be marketed worldwide at an affordable cost.
Other sustainable processes at this organic shrimp farming operation included; zero discharge and water quality control through natural inputs such as molasses and beneficial bacteria. To achieve this, water must be tested every four hours for levels of nitrates, nitrites and ammonium as well as oxygen levels. If nitrate, nitrite or ammonium levels rise shrimp feeds are reduced. If oxygen levels drop aeration is increased and ponds can be inoculated with water from ponds to raise oxygen levels. This requires multiple ponds for inoculation which is impractical in India and other countries where shrimp farms are located in close proximity to each other, leaving no room for expansion for the construction of additional ponds.
Without the help and guidance of Ramachandra Bhatta Department of Fisheries Economics College of Fisheries, Mangalore India, I would not have had the opportunity to visit such sites or meet with officials of NGO’s, the Forestry Department, University Professors, and other public officials. Through these encounters I have learned about; historical impacts of government sponsored development in coastal Karnataka, impacts of shrimp farm abandonment (as a result of shrimp virus) on owners who leased land to farmers, reforestation techniques, successes and challenges of planting specific species, and community involvement in mangrove reforestation projects in East India.
Posted Sep. 24, 2006
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Kathy is a graduate student in EVR under the supervision of Dr. Mahadev Bhat. This research has been made possible with the funding support from USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, Judith Evans Parker Travel Scholarship Program, and Fu Foundation Scholarship.