New regulations for Andaman Shrimp Hatchery Owners

Port Blair, Feb 27 (UNI) The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CSA) has issued a new guideline that all Shrimp hatcheries in the country need to be registered under the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

The MPEDA, in consultation with the concerned agencies, have formulated the norms for registration of shrimp hatcheries to ensure production of healthy and disease-free shrimps, CSA member secretary P Ravichandran said in an official release, here recently.

Presently, the MPEDA is going ahead with its plan to produce next generation 'Smart Shrimp' in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where specific pathogen free (SPF) shrimp brooders or parent shrimps would be produced.

The MPEDA has requested the Ministry of Commerce and Industries as well as as the island's administration to declare the islands as a bio-secure zone.

According to MPEDA, there is no significant growth in production of Tiger shrimp (Peneaus monodon) in India since past several years and reason could be mainly attributed to the outbreak of White Spot Virus (WSV) disease in 1995.

The MPEDA in its study had earlier found that the 'Tiger shrimps' in the islands are 100 per cent WSV disease free while in Andhra Pradesh the infection rate was 91 per cent.

The MPEDA is demanding total ban in shrimp culture in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as it would infect the wild shrimps of the islands carried from the mainland.

UNI SKR PP LPB PM1000