FRESHWATER FARMING OF BRACKISHWATER SHRIMP, PENAEUS MONODON (FABRICIUS) WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN PURBA MEDINIUR DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA

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AMERICAN RESEARCH THOUGHTS
ISSN: 2392 – 876X
Available online at: www.researchthoughts.us
http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1428653
Volume 1 │ Issue 7 │ May 2015
Impact Factor: 2.0178 (UIF)
FRESHWATER FARMING OF BRACKISHWATER
SHRIMP, PENAEUS MONODON (FABRICIUS)
WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN
PURBA MEDINIUR DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA
Indradeep Chakraborty1
, Manojit Bhattacharya2i
, Bidhan Chandra Patra1,2
,
Utpal Kumar Sar3
1Department of Aquaculture Management & Technology, Vidyasagar University,
Midnapore, West Bengal, India
2Department of Zoology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India
3Department of Fisheries, Government of West Bengal, India
Abstract: Brackish water shrimp (Penaeus monodon) farming expanded rapidly after the technical
viability of this culture system was established and farmers discovered that the high profits derived
from shrimp production could easily offset increased costs associated with this culture. These factors
facilitate the spread of brackish water shrimp farming into freshwater agricultural areas of Purba
Medinipur district of West Bengal that never experience salt water intrusion. The emergence of
brackish water shrimp farming within paddy growing regions of Purba Medinipur district has raised
concerns regarding potential environmental impacts and the suitability of conducting this activity
within highly productive freshwater agricultural areas. In the present study an attempt had been
made to farm the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon in almost freshwater condition with
innovative technologies in 04 earthen tanks each with 0.4 ha water spread area under Contai-III Dev.
Block in Purba Medinipur district in the year 2011 (April to August). The PCR tested P. monodon
seeds (PL15) were stocked in all freshwater earthen tanks after proper acclimatization @
50,000nos/tank. The salinity of the tanks was recorded between 0.0063 ppt to 0.04 ppt. The shrimps
were fed with branded feed and the feeding schedule was based on check-tray method as well as a feed
chart given by the concerned manufacturer. A juice prepared from home-made mixture of sugarcane
jiggery, yeast, rice bran, dolomite, curd and water was used weekly to maintain a healthy
iCorresponding Author:
Manojit Bhattacharya
Department of Zoology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore -721 102, West Bengal, India
E-mail: mbhattacharya09@gmail.comTel: +91 9434185066. Fax: +91 - 3222 - 275297

Indradeep Chakraborty, Manojit Bhattacharya, Bidhan Chandra Patra, Utpal Kumar Sar- FRESHWATER
FARMING OF BRACKISHWATER SHRIMP, PENAEUS MONODON (FABRICIUS) WITH INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES IN PURBA MEDINIUR DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA
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AMERICAN RESEARCH THOUGHTS- Volume 1 │ Issue 7 │2015
environment in the tank as this was a zero water exchange culture system. Shrimps were cultured
until they attained 30 gm. in each tank. A mass mortality was observed in tank 2 after 101 days of
culture due to White spot syndrome virus (WSSV). After final harvest, the survival rate was almost
75% in rest of the tanks and FCR was ranging between 1.84 and 1.89.
Key Words: Penaeus monodon, Freshwater acclimatization, Salinity, Survival & FCR
INTRODUCTION
Inland shrimp farming has shown tremendous development in the last fifteen years due
to constant increase in shrimp demand and limited supply in the world market. As a
result, the shrimp farming is becoming a new lucrative industry for both developed and
developing countries. India is considered as one of the world leaders in shrimp
production and export. With the introduction of new economic policy, whether our
national economy got a boost or has retrograded is a debatable matter but it is no
denying the facts that foreign exchange earnings has been substantiated with the export
of shrimp. The lion’s share quantity of shrimp produced in India find their way in
attractive dazzling covers and exported to USA, Japan, Netherlands and other
European countries. Again, of the total exports of shrimps from India, West Bengal
covers to the tune of 50% alone and among the coastal districts of West Bengal, the
Purba Medinipur district contributes a good share in total cultured shrimp production
now-a-days.
Earlier, the brackish water shrimp farming was traditionally limited to a
relatively narrow band of coastal areas of Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal.
However, few years past, the farmers had discovered that it is both feasible and
profitable to grow black tiger shrimp in areas far away from the coastal land by
trucking saline water inland through delivery pipes and small scale tiger shrimp farms
are now common in traditional fresh water paddy growing areas of this district. But,
such reckless expansion of brackish water shrimp farming in fresh water areas brings
serious conflicts among the paddy cultivators, Government policies and shrimp
farmers. So, this experiment was conducted with an objective to grow the brackish
water shrimp, Penaeus monodon, in fresh water condition in Purba Medinipur district
with innovative technologies to minimize the culture cost.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS
a) Site selection, tank preparation, liming & manuring
The experiment was conducted in four freshwater earthen tanks having water spread
area of 0.4 ha each at four villages namely Panichiary (Tank 1 & Tank 3), Uttar Rampur
(Tank 2) and Sukunia (Tank 4) under Contai III Dev. Block in Purba Medinipur district
in the year 2011 (April to August). Initially, the bottom of the tank was desilted (5 cm)
followed by complete drying and cracking in open sunlight to increase the oxidation of
hydrogen sulphide and to eliminate the fish eggs, crab larvae and other unwanted
organisms. Subsequently, the tank bed was ploughed horizontally and vertically (cris-
cross method) to remove the obnoxious gases, oxygenate the bottom soil and to increase
the fertility. The soil pH was recorded with a cone type pH meter and a mixture of lime
(1200 kg/ha) was applied accordingly over the tank bed. The mixture of lime contained
50% CaCO3, 20% CaO and 30% CaMg(CO3)2 – commonly known as dolomite. 50% of
this mixture was applied uniformly over the tank bed and tank dykes. Some extra
amount of CaO was also poured on the corners of the tanks. The tank was then
encircled with 40 mesh size nylon thread with a height of 3// to stop the entry of crabs
or other animals and bird fencing was also done over the tank using monofilament red
colored thread. Tanks were then filled with freshwater up to 50 cm after filtering
through a filter bag (60 mesh size). Before filling, the salinity of the source water was
also measured by a refractometer (Erma - Japan). The remaining 50% of the lime
mixture was applied all over the water body in a diluted form. After three days of
liming, inorganic fertilizers were applied @ 7 kg/ha (Urea: SSP @ 6:1). After 3 days, the
water color turned to light green and the water level was increased by gradual
pumping up to 100 cm in each tank.
Figure 1 (a, b): Freshwater earthen tank for shrimp farming.

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b) Acclimatization of shrimp post-larvae to fresh water
Simultaneously, the P. monodon seeds (PL10), already acclimatized with low salinity,
procured from a commercial hatchery in Andhra Pradesh were transported to the
experiment site in oxygenated polyethylene bags (500 nos/bag) at 6 ppt salinity. They
are then stocked in large FRP tanks having saline water of 6 ppt. Continuous aeration
was given throughout the day. From the very next day, the salinity of the FRP tank
water was gradually reduced @ 1 ppt per day by adding freshwater into it. All the
wastes, moulted shells etc. were removed daily from the FRP tanks. The aeration was
continued throughout the day till the acclimatization process is over. The shrimp post
larvae were fed with branded feed four times a day. They were maintained in this
environment until the FRP tank water salinity dropped to 0 ppt. After five days of
application of inorganic manure to the tanks, these acclimatized seeds were released to
each freshwater tank @ 50,000/tank.
c) Feeding & shrimp health monitoring
The shrimps were fed with branded feed and the feeding schedule was based on check-
tray method as well as a feed chart given by the concerned manufacturer. Four check
trays were installed in each tank for monitoring of animal health and feed intake. The
feed ration was divided into 4 times a day i.e. 25%, 20%, 30% and 25% in the morning (6
am), noon (11 am), evening (6 pm) and night (10 pm) respectively. The feed was
broadcasted from the rope method by using floats. The gain in body weight was
observed by collecting shrimps from check trays. Later a cast net was used for collecting
regular samples.
d) Analysis of water & sediment physic-chemical parameters
The periodical analysis of some important physic-chemical parameters of water and
sediment were done every 10 days interval. The water temperature was measured by
using a standard centigrade thermometer. The pH of water was recorded by using
electronic pH pen (Hanna - Japan). The Dissolved oxygen was monitored by using a DO
meter. Salinity was recorded by using a salino-refractometer (Erma - Japan). Free CO2
and total alkalinity were determined as per the methods described in APHA (1995).
Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), Ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and Phosphate phosphorus
(PO4-P) were analyzed by the method of Strickland and Parsons (1976). The sediment

1543
pH was measured by a cone shaped soil pH meter and the soil organic carbon was
determined by following the method of Strickland and Parsons (1976).
e) Application of home-made juice
Instead of costly branded probiotics and other medicines, a homemade juice was
applied once in a week. 8 kg of sugarcane jiggery, 20 kg of rice bran, 32 kg of dolomite,
200 gm of yeast powder, 500 gm of curd were mixed thoroughly in an earthen tub and
soaked for 3 days and applied to tank water @ 30 lt/tank to keep the tank environment
at optimum level.
f) Aeration
Besides this, three numbers of paddle wheel aerators of 1HP each were provided per
pond to create water current for the accumulation of wastes in the center of the pond
and to increase the dissolved oxygen in the water column. Aerators were placed 10’
away from the dykes and almost 40 mt. distance from each other. Aeration for 1 hr. was
carried out up to harvest time @ 4 times per day.
g) Harvesting
Harvesting of marketable size was done by using drag net to avoid muddy smell in the
flesh of shrimp. As complete dewatering method was not followed to harvest the
shrimp, the same water was again used for second culture of the crop.
Figure 2 (a, b): Feeding and harvesting of fresh water shrimp

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RESULTS
The average of physic-chemical parameters of water and soil of all tanks during
experiment are given in table 1. The average values are calculated using T-Test (One
Sample statistics).
Water quality parameters ↓ Tank 1 Tank 2 Tank 3 Tank 4
Temperature (0C) 31.1 31.27 31.09 31.14
pH 8.04 7.78 7.94 7.97
DO (ppm) 6.4 6.13 6.26 6.23
Total alkalinity (ppm) 187.18 179.81 155.13 166.53
Free CO2 (ppm) 0.16 0.19 0.12 0.13
Salinity (ppt) 0.06 0.1 0.2 0.4
Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) (µg atom NO3 -N/l) 0.09 0.11 0.15 0.09
Ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) (µg atom NH3 -N/l) 0.01 0.01 0.03 0.03
Phosphate phosphorus (PO4-P) (µg atom PO4 -P/l) 0.05 0.04 0.14 0.22
Soil quality parameters ↓
pH 6.91 6.79 6.84 6.92
Organic Carbon (%) 0.51 0.6 0.66 0.69
Table 1: Average water & sediment quality parameters in experimental tanks
Parameters ↓ Tank 1 Tank 2 Tank 3 Tank 4
Area of the tank (ha) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Stocking date 06/04/11 06/04/11 06/04/11 06/04/11
Stocking density (nos) 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000
Harvesting date 29/08/2011 15/07/2011 22/08/2011 24/08/2011
Avg body weight (gm) 30.1
14.8
(Mass mortality
due to WSSV)
30 30
Survival rate (%) 75 70 74 75
Avg daily growth (gm) 0.2 0.15 0.21 0.21
Days of culture 146 101 139 141
FCR 1 : 1.84 1 : 1.53 1 : 1.89 1 : 1.89
Table 2: Shrimp production details from all tanks are summarized below

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DISCUSSION
The black tiger shrimp, P. monodon, is the major species cultured and accounts for 58%
of total shrimp production from farms worldwide (Rosenberry, 1996). It has the fastest
growth rate among a number of penaeid species reared in captivity (Forster and Beard,
1974).
Ideal tank size for shrimp culture is 1 or less than 1 ha (Ramanathan et al., 2005).
Sankoli (1984) suggested that the shrimp culture tanks should be small (0.1 to 0.2 ha) for
effective management, whereas, Ghosh (1984) and Muthu (1980) suggested 1 to 3 ha
pond sizes from the economic point of view as well as for better oxygenation of tank
water. In the present investigation, 04 nos. of tanks having water spread area of 0.4 ha
each were used for culture and 100 cm water level was maintained in all the tanks
throughout the culture period.
The stocking density between 10 – 20 PLs /m2 is ideal for successful shrimp
farms (Ramanathan et al., 2005). In this experiment, seeds were stocked @12.5 / m2.
Venkatesan and Chandra Bose (1982) reported the maximum growth and yield of P
monodon at a stocking density of 25,000 / ha in brackish water ponds.
P. monodon grows better in a temperature range of 24 to 320
C (Fast & Lannan,
1992). Water temperature is probably the most important environmental variable as it
directly affects metabolism, oxygen consumption, growth, moulting and survival. The
average temperature in the present study varied between 31.1 to 31.270C among all 04
tanks. Temperature range of 28 to 330C supports normal growth of shrimp (MPEDA,
2006) as observed in the present study. Law (1988) found that pH range of 7.5 to 8.5
would be optimum for culture of shrimp. Highly alkaline (≥9.5) or acidic (≤5.0) waters
are not suitable for culture of P. monodon (Nath, 1998). Ramkrishnareddy (2000)
recommended pH of 7.5 to 8.5 for P. monodon culture. Saha et al. (1999) noticed pH
ranging from 8.11 to 8.67 in low saline tanks. In the present study, average pH was
ranging between 7.78 and 8.04 among all the tanks which were very much conducive
for the growth of shrimp.
Dissolved Oxygen plays an important role to influence the survival of shrimp.
Low level of dissolved oxygen hampers metabolic performances in shrimp, reduce
growth and moulting and cause mortality (Gilles, 2001). During the present trial,
average dissolved oxygen level was always in the acceptable range of 6.13 to 6.4 among
all the tanks.

1546
Total alkalinity ranged between 50 – 114 ppm is desirable for P monodon production
(Chakraborti et al., 1986). Contrary to this, in the present study, average total alkalinity
ranged between 155.13 ppm to 187.18 ppm which is slightly higher than that of
desirable limit as stated by Chakraborti et al., 1986.
Even though P. monodon is an euryhaline species, the range of salinity that
supports normal growth, is between 15 to 30 ppt (Chen, 1985). Karthikeyan (1994)
recommended a salinity range of 10 – 35 ppt was ideal for P. monodon culture. Main and
Wyk (1999) suggested that once the post larvae reach PL 12 to PL14 stage, they can be
acclimatized to fresh water. At this stage, the gills are developing and they can
withstand osmotic stress (Scarpa, 1998). Pantastico (1979) reported a high rate of
survival and growth of P. monodon in freshwater in the Philippines. Raghunath et al.,
(1997) reported the successful culture of P. monodon in rivers, irrigation channels and
ground water in the inland area of Thailand. Rajyalakshmi (1980) observed that higher
salinity (15 – 20 ppt) is conducive for growth of P monodon in Sundarbans. In contrast to
above, Shivappa and Hambrey (1997) recently reported that P monodon is able to
tolerate salinity of less than 5 ppt and many farmers in Thailand are now farming tiger
shrimp successfully in inland areas. In the present study, the average tank water
salinity was varied between 0.06 ppt to 0.04 ppt among all tanks.
In the present experiment, the average NO3-N values varied between 0.09 to 0.15
µg atom NO3 -N/l among all the tanks. The average NH3-N varied between 0.01 to 0.03
µg atom NH3 -N/l. Chin and Chen (1987) studied the acute toxicity of NH3 to larvae of P
monodon (4 days) and recommended a safe level of about 1.15 mg/l NH3 –N for rearing
P. monodon. The average PO4-P values varied between 0.04 to 0.22 µg atom PO4 -P/l.
The average pH values of sediment were ranged between 6.79 to 6.92 and the average
organic carbon values was ranged between 0.51 % and 0.69 %.
Feed is one of the essential inputs in shrimp production and average Indian
cultured food conversion ratios are varying between 1.5 to 1.75 (Paul Raj, 1998). Saha et
al.(1999) observed that the food conversion ratios of 1.31 to 1.58 in low saline ponds and
1.35 to 1.68 in high saline ponds. In the present experiment, high FCR is obtained due to
increase of days of culture and slow growth of farmed species. Shrimps attain 38 gm
when reared for 135 days in brackish water (Giri & Wanganeo, 2007).
In the present study, average 73.5 % survival was recorded at the end of culture
from all the tanks. Krantz and Norris (1975) stated that 60 to 80 % survivals are to be
expected if the shrimp are reared in suitable condition. Giri and Wanganeo (2007) got

1547
85.75 % survival and average body weight of 38 gm when cultured for 135 days in
brackish water.
The survival and growth of P monodon in the present experiment was not up to
the mark compared to brackish water. But, the study explains that shrimps can be
reared satisfactorily in fresh water conditions. This brackish water species may serve as
a viable alternate species in fresh water culture system of Purba Medinipur district.
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FRESHWATER FARMING OF BRACKISHWATER SHRIMP, PENAEUS MONODON (FABRICIUS) WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN PURBA MEDINIUR DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA