Problems in Prawn Culture PDF

INTRODUCTION

For a long time scientists had been hoping to culture prawns on a small scale. It was an interesting and difficult problem. Prof. Hudinaga had been conducting continuous research on this subject for more than 30 years since 1933. Several other scientists also participated in the research under the guidance of Prof. Hudinaga. Their aim was to devise an effective culture technique and to apply it on a commercial scale. At last in 1963 they succeeded in the commercial production of seedlings, thus initiating large-scale culture of prawns. However, in spite of all these efforts there was still much fundamental work to be done to perfect the technique of prawn culture and increase the production rate. Besides, nothing much was known about what should be the best structure of the culture pond, which forms the main basis of increased production, nor about the maintenance of environmental conditions. Even now, compared to the progress in production with other land uses the technique of prawn culture is very slow and there seems to be no immediate way of dealing with these aspects of the problem. Although a definite, perfect technique is a prerequisite for successful commercial culture of any organism this stage has not yet been reached in prawn culture.

In December, 1962, the author joined the Prawn Culture Co. Ltd., (Kuruma-ebi Yoshoku K.K., Takamatsu City). The following year (1963) he joined the Setonaikai Suisan Kaihatsu K.K. Research Center and worked under the guidance of Prof. M. Hudinaga and Prof. K. Miyamura until May, 1965. When the company opened a culture center at Himejima, Oita Prefecture, the author was transferred there and worked on prawn culture until October, 1967. In the meantime a haphazard technique of prawn culture was developed and widely practiced. This has now become the subject of wide discussion. On the one hand the knowledge of the nutritional requirements, physiology and diseases of prawn is inadequate and on the other nothing has been achieved by way of intensive culture. The author wishes to analyze the contents of various techniques of prawn culture and the related problems so as to help prawn culture to progress.

Author: Kunihiko Shigeno