First vannamei shrimp hatchery in State launched

Minister for Fisheries K. Babu on Friday inaugurated the State’s first vannamei shrimp hatchery at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS).

The hatchery of Litopenaeus vannamei, an exotic shrimp in high demand in overseas countries, was set up at the Fisheries Station of KUFOS after getting licence from the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA), Chennai.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Babu said the hatchery was a milestone in the history of shrimp farming in Kerala, adding that the facility would help boost the economy of the State.

“With the establishment of the hatchery, vannamei shrimp farming will be more popular among the farmers in Kerala. It will help boost the export of shrimps from the State, resulting in a remarkable increase in income of shrimp farmers,” he said.

At present, the growth of vannamei farming in the State is slow due to the difficulty in getting seeds of the species. The farmers have to depend on other States for the seeds. With the establishment of the hatchery in KUFOS, the farming of vannamei shrimp will get a major boost.

The Minister said the Fisheries Department would popularise the farming model of the Whiteleg exotic shrimp developed by the varsity in all the shrimp farms in the State.

The hatchery will start functioning, in the initial stage, as the Nauplius Rearing Centre, which has a capacity of producing two million seeds a year.