Larvae fishing proving a threat to prawns

August 29, 2015 12:00 am | Updated March 29, 2016 06:06 pm IST - MACHILIPATNAM:

A woman collecting wild prawn larvae from a backwater channel at Gilakaladindi in Krishna district.- Photo: T. Appala Naidu

A woman collecting wild prawn larvae from a backwater channel at Gilakaladindi in Krishna district.- Photo: T. Appala Naidu

The flourishing practice of collection of wild prawn larvae in the backwaters is posing a major threat for tiger prawn species, leading to dwindling of their numbers.

Number of families from Gilakaladindi and its surrounding villages in Krishna district are engaged in collection of the larvae from the backwaters and water channels in the mangrove forest.

“We are blessed with rich mangrove and backwaters, where wild tiger prawn larvae are seen in great quantity. There is a great demand for the larvae from hatcheries and aqua farmers,” wild larvae collectors told The Hindu . According to Anji, a traditional fish seed collector, collection of seed of different species was a prime source of income for the locals.

Seeking anonymity, many larvae collectors agreed that the tiger prawn seed was fetching them remunerative price from aqua farmers and hatcheries which are in operational in Krishna and Godavari districts.

Carrying pull net in hands, venturing into mangrove forest and backwaters, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, is a regular chore of the life for the locals.

Krishna University Biotechnology Department head P.V. Brahmachari said that the existing practice by the local fishermen would cause severe damage to the population of the tiger prawn.

“Fishing of larvae should not be encouraged. The practice must be stopped, given the number of seed being collected a day on the Machilipatnam coast as it is a threat for other species which are trapped in the nets,” opined Mr. Brahmachari. The demand for tiger prawn larvae is significant in Krishna and West Godavari districts as it thrives both in the sweet and brackish water.

Ban in Bangadesh

In 2000, the Bangladesh government has imposed a ban on fishing of the wild prawn larvae to prevent the adverse impact on biodiversity from level of by-cacth apart from conservation of prawn seed.

‘Fishing of larvae should not be encouraged. The practice must be stopped’

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.