KARACHI: The productivity of Sindh’s only shrimp hatchery has been suffering due to prolonged power failures, a visit to the facility in Hawkesbay showed.

Established at a cost of Rs8.64 million under an annual development programme scheme, the hatchery was set up for the production of regular supply of quality seeds of shrimps in 2004.

“At times there is no electricity for three to four days. If we could get electricity only to make our air blower functional, we could achieve a number of our targets,” said deputy director of the seed production unit Mohammad Hanif Soomro.

The hatchery comprises a number of facilities including a phyco lab, water reservoirs, outdoor mass algae culture fibre glass tank, large circular maturation tank of 18 tonnes capacity each, artemia culture fibre glass tanks, feed quality and water analysis lab as well as feed preparation unit.

Equipped with modern gadgets such as liquid chromatograph, Eliza reader, dissolved oxygen meter, pH and conductivity meters, the lab is used to provide on-spot testing facilities for water and feed quality.

The objectives of setting up the hatchery were to introduce breeding technology of indigenous species of shellfish and fin fish; develop pure strains of algae; produce various strains of algae on mass level; introduce artemia culture techniques; produce good quality, low cost shrimp/fish seed and provide support to farmers in resolving farming issues particularly those related to polluted water.

However, during the recent visit to the hatchery, most of the facilities were found to be out, as there was no electricity. One could only see the process of artemia (a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp used as live feed to for larval fish and crustaceans) propagation, besides there were a few tiger shrimps kept for experimental purposes.

“If there was electricity we could have kept different species here with the help of air blower. There is a lack of activity here because this not a shrimp season,” said Mr Soomro, adding that shrimp season began in March-April during which work at the hatchery was carried out with the help of a generator.

Explaining the hatchery’s activities, assistant director of the fisheries Mansoor Zafar said brooder shrimps were caught from the wild, allowed to spawn and then bred to a certain stage that could be farmed.

“There are different development stages of shrimp. The babies are ready to be transferred to a farm after 14 to 19 days. We have successfully raised white and banana shrimps here and provided hundreds and thousands of seeds to private investors as well as to a government farm in Garho,” he said.

One of the best breed to be farmed was tiger shrimp as it was bigger and heavier than the white and banana shrimp, he said. Efforts were being made to breed tiger shrimp, too, at the hatchery.

Attempts, he said, had been made by different organisations and departments in the past to start shrimp farming but all went in vain. Sindh, he said, was pioneer in undertaking shrimp breeding at such a unit. Since its inception, he added, the unit had been continuously completing the shrimp breeding cycle.

He credited the success to the foreign training of the staff. “The dream of shrimp farming couldn’t be realised without having continuous supply of quality seeds and that depends on provision of live feed. We have developed a pure strain of algae here and that is one of the major factors of our success.”

Highlighting the province’s potential in shrimp and fin fish production, fisheries, research and development director Ather Moan Ishaqi said the Indus delta could produce about 800m kg shrimp and fin fish per year through extensive and semi-intensive culture based on minimum estimates.

“There are 15 species of marine shrimps commonly observed in wild catch by capture fisheries in Sindh. The commercially important species such as banana shrimp, tiger shrimp and white shrimp are considered to be the most appropriate species for shrimp farming here.

“There are about 40 commercial fin fish species that could be cultured in ponds, cages and pens. Sindh has about 300,000 hectares of brackish water area comprising a network of creeks, low line and back waters. These areas have great potential for extensive culture of shrimps and fin fish species,” he said.