To create investment opportunities in aquaculture field:

NARA sets action plan to develop fish industry

By Mohammed NAALIR

Aqua products have become a main commodity in the globe compared to other products. Shrimp farming and freshwater ornamental fish farming are practised in Sri Lanka on a commercial level. A few marine aquarium fish are also being bred in captivity. Other commercial level fin fish and shell fish aquaculture is in a developing stage. Since there is a vast natural resource and a suitable environmental condition for aquaculture, Sri Lanka has a great potential for the development of the sector and contribute to increase national fish production, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) Chairman Dr. S.G. Samarasundera said.

He said that sustainable utilisation of the fishery resource is very important to achieve the production targets. This can be achieved by promoting the sustainable utilisation of unexploited high demand fin as well as shell fish species to be popularised in a commercial scale through fisheries which would lead the way for higher incomes and export earnings.

Aquaculture and farming contributes significantly to the global fish and shell fish production. This is a highly developed industry in the East Asian Region. Mollusk, finfish, shellfish and sea cucumber culture is at its very initial stages in Sri Lanka.

During the conflict period in the North and the East, the most significant aquatic sites in those regions were hardly used. Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has instructed NARA to identify the resources and develop a master plan in developing the industry. With the assistance of consultants from Korea, Japan and with a local expertise, NARA is producing an action plan in how to develop this industry as well how to create investment opportunities in the aquaculture field, Dr. Samarasundera said.

NARA has identified commercially important marine species such as Fin fish species namely; Sea bass, Grouper and Milk fish (Chanos), shell fish species such as shrimps (Penaeus monodon, P. indicus) mud crab (Scylla serrata), Sea crab (Portunus pelagicus), spiny lobsters (Palinurus spp.) and also species like sea cucumber (Holothuria sp.) which are naturally available and are high value species for aquaculture in Sri Lanka. Also locally available sea weed species such as Gracilaria sp. and exotic sea weed varieties like Kappaphycus alverezii are commercially important aquatic plant species for farming, according to Dr. Samarasundera.

oyster attached to the mangrove roots

A female crab with eggs

The world mollusc production was amounted to 13.1 million metric tons in 2008. Asia contributed to almost 73 percent while only 27 percent came from the rest of the world, the Chairman said. Mollusc production contribute 20 percent out of the total aqua production production of Asia.

The major mollusc producing countries in the ASEAN region are Japan, Korea and China. Among the species of bivalves cultured and harvested from the wild in the region are the oysters, cockles and mussels, he said.

Oysters are very nutritious. It also contains a high level of glycogen which makes an excellent source of energy that reduces the workload of the pancreas of the human body.

Complex sugars in the bloodstream must be broken down into glycogen by enzymes which the pancreas secretes before these are stored in the liver. Glycogen provided from oysters will reduce the workload of the pancreas, Dr. Samarasundera said.

Edible bivalve species namely oysters (Crassostrea madrasensis, C. belcheri, Saccostrea cucullata), mussels (Perna perna, Perna viridis), clams (Marcia opima, Marcia hiantina, Geloina coaxans, Meretrix meretrix, M. casta), Cockles (Gafrarium tumidum, Anadara sp.) and other economically important species such as P. vulgaris, P. maxima are naturally available in marine and brackish water bodies throughout the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, he said.

At present bivalve farming is also at its initial stage and since there is a great potential for development of this industry in Sri Lanka "Divineguma" program under the patronage of Minister Basil Rajapaksa have initiated 2 main programs on Oyster and Mussel culture in Mannar and Tricomalee Districts. At the moment we have identified around 100 low income families and have set up culture sites as a lively hood development project.

I also would like to promote this to the private sector for investment as this is a highly profitable industry. There is a very high demand for Oyster and Mussels worldwide and NARA is willing to give necessary technical support to any private party who like to d invest in this industry.

NARA is also starting a market research for the local consumption for Oyster and Mussel as the booming hotel industry requires large quantities. We are able to direct the parties interested to the best sites with the most natural resources. These sites are mainly in the Northwestern and Northeastern provinces, Dr. Samarasundera said.

Although there are between 20-30 commercially valuable sea cucumber species, here in the Western Indian Ocean only a few have the potential to be raised in an aquaculture farms. The most common species for which hatchery technology exists is the sandfish, Holothuria scabra.

This species is one of the most valuable in the market place and inhabits shallow, near shore environments in tropical climates.

Presently the minimum value of a dried one kilo of sea cucumber is about $140. NARA has the technical skills in breeding sand fish and would want the private sector to take the initiative in developing farms and be a part on this lucrative industry, Dr. Samarasundera said.

Crabs of the genus Scylla are strongly associated with mangrove areas throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans and form the basis of substantial fishery and aquaculture operations. Aquaculture production currently relies on wild-caught seed for stocking ponds, as larval rearing at a commercial scale is still difficult.

One of the major problems for effective mud crab management and aquaculture is the likelihood that there are a number of genetically distinct species. Research has demonstrated the presence of at least four distinct species i.e. Scylla serrata, S. olivacea (oceanica), S. tranquebarica and S. paramamosain.

Laboratory experiments of the larval stages of each species should provide valuable information on each species' biological and ecological requirements, NARA Chairman Dr. Samarasundera said.

There are two basic forms of land-based mud crab aquaculture: fattening of crabs with a low flesh content, and grow-out of juveniles to market size. Fattening is a very profitable activity, employing high densities of crabs and low costs. However, total production is low because of mortalities due to cannibalism.

Grow-out systems for mud crabs show much more variety and production can be very high. Grow-out systems are usually pond-based, with or without mangroves, although inter-tidal pens can also be used. Without mangroves, lower stocking rates provide the best return. In shallow mangrove ponds, there are two distinct forms of aquaculture: (i) intensive, with higher stocking rates and supplemental feeding; and (ii) extensive, in large mangrove silviculture ponds where the stocking rate is very low, and no supplemental feeding is involved. Growth rates under all systems are comparable, with production of commercial-sized crabs three to four months after stocking with seed crabs.

Further research is required into the habitat preferences of each species so that production techniques can be modified to suit their respective requirements. With advances in the hatchery production of mud crab juveniles for stocking into ponds and enclosures, the future of mud crab aquaculture looks promising.

There has been an artisanal mud crab fishery in the country for several decades. With the high demand and export of crab, this sector generates foreign exchange and constitutes an important means of income generation for local riparian communities. However, the increase in coastal populations, the high demand for mud crabs from foreign countries, the ease of collection of in shallow coastal waters by traps, gill nets, scoop nets, hand picking and the introduction of fattening for soft shell ones, have all combined to cause overfishing of this valuable resource. Despite the importance of mud crabs, information of their biology and ecology which is crucial for management is scarce from Sri Lanka.

NARA's services for intended investors, the NARA Chairman said.,

NARA has planned to provide following services and facilities for the investors interested in aquaculture in Sri Lanka such as training and technology transfer, management and monitoring support, aquatic health management and health certification for export suitable areas for mariculture.

Trincomalee district is located in an area of 2,727 square kilometres. It poses sheltered bays such as Thabalagam Bay, Kinniya Bay, Clappenberg Bay and Cod Bay which are suitable areas for sea farming development.

Mannar has one of the biggest natural resources of Oyster in Sri Lanka.

This area has a huge potential for most of the discussed species because the Puttalam District has extensive lagoons and canal systems, and because of its proximity to Colombo is one of the most suitable areas for marine aquaculture, Dr Samarasundera added.