studies on improved practices of prawn farming for higher ...

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of small-scale fisheries and coastal aquaculture in integrated rural
development" at Madras which recommended for the accelerated
development of the field, in view of its importance not only for
augmenting fish production, but also in improving the rural economy and
providing large scale employment opportunities.
In recognition of the significance of shrimp as a foreign
exchange earner, the first "National Symposium on Shrimp Farming" was
conducted by the MPEDA in association with CIFE, CMFRI and CIFRI in
1978 in Ikmflnnn. The symposium reviewed the status of shrimp farming
work in different parts of India by various agencies till 1978 through
42 papers (MPEDA, 1980).
The review by George (1980) has elaborately dealt with the
status of coastal aquaculture in India with emphasis on constraints and
socio-economic aspects.
Also the symposium organised by the Marine Biological
Association of India in January 1980 at Cochin has dealt with different
aspects of coastal aquaculture in detail by way of over 324 papers
(JMA, 1982). Important contributions on crustacean culture,
technology, production and economics were made by several workers.
Most important among them are Gopalan et al. ‘on high density short
term farming of _§. indicus; Verghese et al. ‘on improved prawn
production. through. selective stocking‘; .Natarajan znui Jalaluddin (xi
intesive culture of E, indicus using different stocking densities and
feeds etc. Experiments on shrimp farming in different regions were
presented by Nandakumar in coastal ponds at Mandapam camp; Siddharaju
and Ramachandra Menon in Kovalam backwaters of Tamil Nadu; Venketesan
and Bose in brackishwater ponds of 1Madras; Srinivasan et al. in
different ponds in Tamil Nadu; Pakrasi in the low saline zone of Matlah
estuary in West Bengal and Das et al. on xnixed ‘prawn farming in
brackishwater ponds at Kakdwip. The economics of a traditional shrimp
culture farm in the north Kanara district was given by Pai et a1.