About Us

Mission

Shrimp/Prawn seed production technology in India has a long history of development through half a century to the present day production capability of approximately 10,000 million seeds per annum. Infrastructure built up in this sector is sufficient to support 1,94,000 hectares of shrimp / prawn grow out systems spread along both the east and west coast and several inland water bodies of the country with an annual production capacity for 1,27,170 MT. Indian shrimp production and export systems were one of the most globally competitive enterprises capturing much of the share of international market just a decade back. But, tragically enough, over the past one decade shrimp/prawn industry in India has been suffering serious set backs in different forms one after the other.

Emergence of White Spot Syndrome Virus, shortage of disease free good quality of brood stock, difficulty in maintaining good quality waters uniformly through out the year in hatcheries and grows out system, general vibriosis and luminescent bacterial disease, various larval diseases which resulted in water quality deterioration, escalation in the cost of shrimp feed, reduction of price of shrimp in the International market, detection of antibiotic residues in the exported shrimp/prawn products are some of the major reasons for the difficulties and downward trend experienced in the Indian prawn industry.

One of the measures which can be adopted, in its abstract sense, to tide over the above issues is to work towards the attainment of a stipulated quality in the production of prawn seed, feed and in the management of aquaculture environment.

Over a decade Cochin University of Science and Technology has been working towards development of appropriate technology for protecting finfish and shellfishes from diseases and all such efforts culminated in the establishment of the National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health (NCAAH). One of the products of these developmental efforts is the Nitrifying Bioreactor Technology. This technology can be used to establish recirculating aquaculture systems.

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems give ample avenues to manage the required water quality with little hardship, maximum consistency, and least incidence of diseases and with enhanced survival rate of shrimp / prawns. Recirculation larval production systems also totally eliminate the application of chemical disinfectants, antibiotic and other chemotherapeutic agents, facilitating organic prawn seed production in its truest form.