FAO hatchery boosts prawn production

Over 50,000 families to benefit:

Freshwater prawns found in coastal estuaries around Sri Lanka, will grow to six inches in length and are in demand for local consumption.

Excessive harvesting has significantly reduced the wild stocks and to meet the local demand, the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) has recommended the culture of prawns in tanks and mud ponds as the successful culture of freshwater prawns can open an export market thereby improving the livelihoods of many prawn producers.

The limiting factor is the availability of young prawn larvae that are produced by adults spawning in a controlled environment with eggs being hatched and the larvae bred in tanks until they are about one centimetre in length (called prawn post larvae) and are then released into tanks and mud ponds.

A new prawn hatchery to produce Macrobrachium rosenbergii post larvae has been constructed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Kahandamodara, in the Hambantota district with financial support from the Italian government. NAQDA, the State authority promoting aquaculture activities in Sri Lanka has been operating the country’s only fresh water prawn hatchery in Chilaw since 2003, until the new hatchery in Hambantota came into operation in May last year.

The post larvae produced by the new hatchery is supplied to farmer Co-operative Societies in the districts of Hambantota, Moneragala, Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Ampara and Puttalam, said Hatchery Manager I. Sirikumara.

The construction of the freshwater prawn hatchery which includes 12 culture tanks was completed and presented to NAQDA operating under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in December 2007.

The hatchery has the capacity to produce upto 20 million post larvae annually while operations are at a peak. It has already completed two cycles of production since operations started in May 2008 and is currently in its third production cycle.

So far some five million post larvae (in two cycles) have been produced. Macrobrachium rosenbergii is considered to be the most viable species for commercial production in Sri Lanka and the operations of the hatchery will make a significant contribution towards supplying quality post larvae to freshwater prawn farmers in the country.

FAO’s hatchery complex also includes a fully equipped microbiology laboratory to facilitate the analysis of water quality and to detect diseases in brook stocks during post larvae.

To stimulate the development of the prawn culture industry the government will provide post larvae free to farmers through Co-operative Societies during the first two years of operation. The demand is growing and prawn hatcheries are expected to proliferate.

The future looks promising, especially for farmers engaged in the trade. According to NAQDA around 50,000 families will benefit through the prawn hatcheries in the years to come.