Prawn farming plays an important role in the economy of India. Despite of several problems, the practice of prawn farming has offered opportunity to increase incomes for farmers and associated groups. The future for prawn farming is bright but requires dynamism to exploit fully. The realization of its potential must be aided by improvements in production technology and hatchery operation. In addition, research in areas such as seed and feed production may need to be given particular attention, considering existing technology, the transfer, adaption and development of new technology.

1. PRAWN CULTURE
Submitted by : ANURADHA NASKAR
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY AND APPLIED AQUACULTURE
BARKATULLAH UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL
MADHYA PRADESH, 462026

2. CONTENTS
▪ INTRODUCTION
▪ CULTURE OF PRAWN
▪ CULTURING IN PONDS
▪ CULTURING IN MIXEDCULTURE
▪ CULTURING IN MONOCULTURE
▪ FERTILIZATIONAND FEEDS
▪ HARVESTING
▪ MANAGEMENT AND CARE
▪ PRAWN CULTURE OBSERVED IN INDIA
▪ PRESENT STATUS AND GLOBAL SCENARIO OF PRAWN CULTURE
▪ CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION
In terms of value the crustacean fisheries of India rank highest at nearly
60% of the total of the various categories of Indian fisheries. Prawns
are of considerable value and play a major role in foreign exchange.
India has always been among the topmost prawn producing countries
in the world. India exports prawns to various countries like the USA,
Japan and Australia. Freshwater prawn farm is an aquaculture business
designed to raise and produce freshwater prawn for human
consumption. All farmed freshwater prawns today belong to the genus
Macrobrachium.

4. CULTURE OF PRAWN
Recognition of the potential of the freshwater prawn is organised
culture in confined water arose from chance observation on their
production in the wild in situation where seed is received directly from
rivers. Macrobrachium rosenbergii has become the main freshwater
prawn species for small scale and large scale farming .
Formulation of the cultural practice of prawns in freshwater ponds
was initiated by the CIFRI (Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute)
at Rajahmundry and Cuttack centres using M. malcolmsonii.Work later
began at Badampudi and Balabhadrapuram (Andhra Pradesh) using M.
malcolmsonii and M. rosenbergii, respectively.

5. Macrobrachium rosenbergii Macrobrachium malcolmsonii

6. Culturing in Ponds
Ponds, the same as for carp culture, are used for freshwater prawn
culture with the difference that water supply invariably comes from
irrigation canals or wells.
Stocking is done using juveniles of 20-60 mm sizes and hence
nursery rearing phase is eliminated. Prawn juveniles are stocked in
stock ponds which are pre-prepared on lines similar to those used for
carp culture.

7. ▪ Selection of Size at Stocking :The growing period of prawn is short, it
being only 4-6 months. Studies
conducted on M. malcolmsonii and on
M. rosenbergii (Barrackpore,1976)
indicate that at a stocking size greater
than 35mm to 45mm, the growth
pickup would be fast in both the
species.

8. ▪ Stocking Rates : From the present knowledge, a stocking rate of
25,000 to 30,000/ha. of juveniles seems to be
optimal for Macrobrachium culture (Barrackpore,
1975,1976; Rajyalakshmi,1979). If a water flow or
circulation can be maintained in ponds, the density
can be raised to 40,000 to 50,000/ha.

9. Fig. Substrates have been placed vertically in this temperate
zone rearing pond for Macrobrachium rosenbergii culture.

10. Culturing in Mixed Culture
Culture trials conducted so far in India have been with combination
of M. malcolmsonii and Indian major or minor carps. Observations
indicate that with any combination of major carps, the growth rate and
survival of prawns were higher. In mixed culture, maximum production
of M. malcolmsonii at 30,000/ha stocking rate was 327 kg. of prawns and
2,084 kg. of fish (Venkateswara Rao et al. 1979).

11. Culturing in Monoculture
In monoculture at varying stocking rates, the maxium yields
obtained were in respect of M. rosenbergii, viz., 577 to 606 kg/ha.
(Barrackpore, 1977) in a 4-months grow-out. In the case of M.
malcolmsonii, productions obtained were 256 kg/ha. at 75,000/ha.
stocking rate in 6 months and 313.7 kg/ha. in 10 months.The low
survival indicates the necessity of drastic reduction in stocking density
especially when no aeration or water circulation is to be done in the
culture ponds.

12. Fertilization and Feeds
In extensive pond culture systems, fertilization of ponds with either
organic (cow dung or poultry manure) and inorganic salt (NPK) has
been assigned an important role. Artificial feeds have also been used
with the main objective of providing supplementary feed in addition to
natural food.The feed formulae so far derived consist of the
ingredients: rice bran + broken rice or groundnut oilcake or tapioca
powder + fish meal or shark live meal, tubificid worms or pila meat
(Barrackpore, 1971, 1973, 1975; Rajyalakshmi, 1974 and Rajyalakshmi et
al., 1979)

13. HARVESTING
▪ Crafts :Vallom, masula, dinghi, nauk
▪ Gear : Nets,traps and hooks
▪ Net :Cast net, drag net, bag net, barrier net, dol, gholu jal

14. MANAGEMENT AND CARE
▪ Water inlets should be carefully screened
▪ The bunds of the pond should be inspected a frequent intervals
▪ Prawns are more susceptible to oxygen depletion than fish, control
measures should be applied earlier.

15. PRAWN CULTURE OBSERVED IN
INDIA
Two major species of Macrobrachium, M. rosenbergii and M.
malcolmsonii are reported to have commercial importance in many
estuarine areas of India. In the state of Kerala, small amount of the
harvest consists of prawns of the species Macrobrachium rosenbergii.
M. malcolmsonii is an important fishery in East Godavari district in
Andhra Pradesh state.The biology of this species has been studied and
it was found that it is essentially an inhibitant of flowing waters, such as
rivers and estuarine areas.
These species also occurs in many other river systems in india, such
as the river Mahanadi, in Chilka Lake, the waters of the river Krishna
and its tributaries, as well as in the Hoogly estuary system.

16. PRESENT STATUS AND GLOBAL
SCENARIO OF PRAWN CULTURE
Freshwater prawn production in India that includes farming and wild capture
of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii and the monsoon
river prawn, M. Malcolmsonii has increased steadily since 1999 reaching a peak
output of 42 780 t in2005, but then declined to 6568 t in 2009-2010. Stunted
growth and diseases in ponds because of poor seed quality and the
broodstock which had been inbred over several generations; pond water
quality issues; and increased cost of production on account of feed, labour and
the mandatory certification requirements are suggested to be some of the
factors leading to the production declines. While majority of the output occurs
in Andhra Pradesh, single crop paddy prawn production systems in the low
lying fields of Kerala have helped gradual trans-formation to a sustainable,
organic mode of farming of both rice and prawns, suitable for other states of
India. Although the trends by June 2011 indicate that the sector is set to a
revival, future prospects of freshwater prawn farming in India will also depend
on the expansion of white leg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei that was
introduced recently in India and provided a more profitable opportunity for
farming.

17. CONCLUSION
Prawn farming plays an important role in the economy of India. Despite
of several problems, the practice of prawn farming has offered
opportunity to increase incomes for farmers and associated groups.
The future for prawn farming is bright but requires dynamism to exploit
fully.The realization of its potential must be aided by improvements in
production technology and hatchery operation. In addition, research in
areas such as seed and feed production may need to be given particular
attention, considering existing technology, the transfer, adaption and
development of new technology.

18. REFERENCES
▪ FISH AND FISHERIES OF INDIA –V.G. JHINGRAN
▪ AQUACULTURETECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT – UJWALA JADAV
▪ GOOGLE SEARCH