: operating guidelines for marine farms.

Item Type Journal Contribution

Authors Tookwinas, Siri; Dirakkait, Surasak; Prompoj, Waraporn; Boyd, Claude; Shaw, Randy

Download date 28/09/2021 07:11:50

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/8904 AquacultureSEAFDEC A s ia n

Volume XXIV Number 1 January-March 2002 ISSN 0115-4974

SEAFDEC and IN THIS ISSUE OIE hold disease workshop Recognizing that the E nvironment- industry is continuously threatened by F riendly diseases, SEAFDEC/AQD and the Paris-based Office S hrimp Dr. Barry Hill, International des Epizoo­ Secretary- General ties (OIE) organized a 2 and of the Paris-based 1/2 day seminar-workshop C ulture Office Internationalon Disease Control in Fish des Epizooties (OIE) and Shrimp Aquaculture in lauded the efforts ofSoutheast : Diagnosis countries around theand Husbandry Techniques. world in reporting This was conducted Decem­ and dealing with diseases of marine ber 4-6, 2001 in Iloilo City. animals that can As AQD Chief Dr. Rolando threaten world Platon noted in his welcome trade address, Asia is a major aquaculture site, and better regional cooperation can Thailand: O perating G uidelines for help the aquaculture indus­ try attain its goal of M arine Shrimp F arms . OIE Secre­ By tary General Dr. Barry Hill, Siri Tookwinas, Surasak Dirakkait, Waraporn Prompoj, on the other hand, said that there is a global monitor for Claude Boyd, Randy Shaw aquatic animals and aquatic animal products. Further, The marine shrimp industry in Thailand has developed a code of conduct for its operations. This code is a set of principles and processes that provides a Dr. Yasuo Inui,fish the OIE disease control health expert at policy is based on regula­framework to meet the industry’s goal for environmental, social, and economic SEAFDEC/AQD. tions focused on certain dis­responsibility. The foundation of the code of conduct is the following mission noted that Southeast eases (what are called noti­ statement: Asia needs more fiable diseases) and The marine industry in Thailand is committed to producing skilled fish health high quality, hygienic products in a sustainable manner that provides for environ­ page 7 workers who can mental, social, and economic benefits to present and future generations. diagnose and report Policy statements have been formulated to outline actions that the industry will diseases quickly and undertake to meet its commitments under the statement. These policy statements efficiently cover a broad range of topics, including: on page 7, you’ll next page find more SEAFDEC/AQD news www.seafdec.org.ph

A publication of the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Development Center SEAFDEC/AQD, Tigbauan 5021, Iloilo, E nvironment-Friendly Shrimp C ulture

• Environmental protection “The marine shrimp farming potential impacts (environmen­ • Public consultation industry in Thailand is tal or social) and the installa­ • Regulatory compliance tion of GMPs to prevent or • Location committed to producing high mitigate possible impacts. • Quality and safety quality, hygienic products in a Shrimp farming in Thai­ • Continual improvement sustainable manner that land is conducted over a wide • Efficiency range of coastal environments • Research and development provides for environmental, within which, physical, chemi­ • Social responsibility social, and economic benefits cal, and biological conditions • Monitoring and auditing and resource use patterns dif­ • Education and training to present and future fer. A flexible system of GMPs • generations.” has therefore been formulated, The code of conduct is voluntary, and selected combinations of but it has been signed by a wide variety GMPs can then be used to of industry stakeholders. The code com­ optimize the operating systems mits the signatories to specific actions, including the developmentfor site-specific conditions in a given area and on individual farms. of a series of operating guidelines and procedural manuals. These actions will aid the industry in carrying out its operations inPotential a impacts of shrimp farms manner consistent with the intent of the code of conduct. As noted above, the first step in developing GMPs is to identify The code of conduct for shrimp farms is the first in a series ofthe key impacts that need to be stressed. Shrimp farming is a com­ operating guidelines and procedural manuals that will be devel­paratively new activity, but possible impacts associated with oper­ oped for the marine shrimp culture industry of Thailand. Suc­ating shrimp farms are well known and include: ceeding volumes would cover the other sectors of the industry.• Conversion of and other coastal wetlands to ponds Volume 1 - Shrimp Farms • Nutrient enrichment and of coastal waters by Volume 2 - Hatcheries and Capture pond effluents Volume 3 - Processing Facilities • Discharge of potentially toxic and bioaccumulative chemicals Volume 4 - Feeds and Chemical Suppliers into natural • Sedimentation in coastal waters because of from ponds The overall objective is to establish a consistent approach to and other earthen infrastructure industry operations through establishment of good management• Salinization of freshwater sources by ponds effluents or practices or GMPs. It is anticipated that implementation of these seepage GMPs will enable the industry to operate in a sustainable manner.• Reduction in of coastal caused by water , sedimentation and toxicity of effluents Good management practices • Introduction of non-native species or new shrimp diseases into Good management practices are defined here as practices that are coastal waters thought to be effective, yet practical, in eliminating or reducing• Competition with other activities for natural resources environmental and social impacts. GMPs may include structural• Land use disputes (e.g., a settling basin to remove suspended solids), biological (e.g., wetland plants to remove nutri­ Operating guidelines and ents in effluent) or management procedures for shrimp farms (e.g., minimize use of chemicals) This manual was developed with ABOUT THE AUTHORS practices to solve a particular the input from international and problem. Mr. Tookwinas and Mr. Prompoj are with the Department of Fisheries, Bangkok, Thailand; Mr. Dirakkait, Thai Marine national experts on shrimp farm­ A single GMP seldom solves Shrimp Farmers Association, Surajthani. Thailand; Dr. Boyd, ing operations and was reviewed a problem; rather a system of Department of Fisheries and Allied , Auburn by shrimp farmers at a series of GMPs is normally required to University, Alabama, USA; and Mr. Shaw, BTG Golder Co. workshops held in Thailand in prevent a particular type of farm­ Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand February 1999. ing or other activity from caus­ THAILAND’S DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES IS A GMPs are provided to elimi­ ing negative impacts. Therefore, COLLABORATING PARTNER OF THE SEAFDEC-ASEAN nate or minimize the negative en­ for an activity such as shrimp MANGROVE-FRIENDLY SHRIMP CULTURE PROJECT vironmental impacts listed above. farming, a system based on The following sections of the GMPs requires identification of page 13 E nvironment-Friendly S hrimp C ulture

THAILAND’S GUIDELINES FROM PAGE 2 manual discuss general guidelines for shrimp farm operations, spe­ GMPs for optimizing stocking density include: cific procedures for implementing these guidelines, and a series of• Stocking densities should be based on anticipated survival, de­ checklists and record keeping forms for farm management. sired size at harvest, and carrying capacity of ponds • The size and age of shrimp fry should be considered Site selection for new shrimp farms Proper location of a shrimp farm is important to minimize adverseFeed management environmental and social impacts and in maximizing productionFeed is the basis for high levels of shrimp production in intensive rates. shrimp culture ponds. However, shrimp do not eat all of the feed GMPs for site selection include: provided to them, and only a portion of the feed consumed is con­ • The shrimp farm owner should have clear title or right to their verted to shrimp flesh. Uneaten feed, feces, and metabolic wastes property or other, legal or concession agreements enter ponds and serve as nutrients for . Ammonia • All stakeholders should be involved in area for shrimpexcreted into pond water by shrimp can reach toxic concentrations. farming As feeding rates increase, water and soil quality in ponds usually • The carrying capacity of an area should be determined in orderdeteriorate. to prevent too many shrimp farms in one place Good feed quality and careful feed management are essential • The water and soil quality should be suitable for shrimp farmingingredients for efficient shrimp culture. By using high quality feeds and farms should be located far away from pollution sourcesin reasonable quantities, water and soil quality in ponds is pro­ • Farmers should register with the appropriate government agen­tected. This reduces stress in shrimp; there is less likelihood of cies disease; and shrimp convert feed more efficiently to improve the and minimize feed costs. Better water qual­ General pond management ity effluent reduces the possibility of negative environmental im­ Good pond management helps prevent water pollution, losspact of in receiving water bodies. biodiversity, and other negative environmental impacts, and it willGMPs for feed management include: improve the efficiency of shrimp production. • Feed should be purchased fresh and not stored for more than a GMPs for pond management include: few months • Good water quality should be maintained by using stocking and• Feed should be stored in cool and dry areas feeding rates that do not exceed the assimilative capacity of the • Feed management practices should be implemented to make sure culture system and by using high quality feeds and good feedingthat shrimp consume the feed as completely as possible practices • Medicated feed should be used only if necessary for the control • Water exchange should be reduced as much as possible of a specific diagnosis of disease • , liming materials, and all chemicals should be used in • Cut fish (= trash fish) should not be used as shrimp feed, but if it a responsible manner and only as needed is, care should be taken to prevent overfeeding • Good shrimp health management should be used • Pond managers should keep careful records of daily feed appli­ • Aerators should be positioned and operated to minimize erosioncation rates so that feed conversion ratio (FCR) can be assessed and creation of sediment mounds in pond bottoms • Water inlets and outlet to ponds should be screened to preventShrimp health management entrance of competitors and release of culture species Authorities on shrimp health management recognize that stress • Predator control methods that do not require destruction of eco­reduction through better handling, reasonable stocking densities, logically important species in receiving water should be usedgood nutrition, and optimal environmental conditions in ponds can prevent most infectious and non-infectious diseases. Treatment Stocking density should be undertaken only when a specific disease has been diag­ Stocking density is an important consideration in shrimp farmingnosed and it is known that this disease is treatable. Also, effective because the amount of feed needed to culture shrimp to marketmeasures must be taken to minimize the spread of disease between size increases in direct proportion to the stocking density. As feed­farm stocks and natural stocks. ing rates increase, water and soil quality in ponds tends to deterio­GMPs for shrimp health management include: rate. Ponds with high stocking rates tend to have poorer water qual­• Water quality evaluation and management should be implement ity than ponds stocked at moderate density. Impaired water qualityed to avoid stressing shrimp, but when stressful conditions are stresses shrimp and reduces the efficiency with which they con­ observed, shrimp should be checked for disease vert feed to shrimp flesh. Effluents from ponds with excessive stock­• For non-infectious diseases related to pond conditions, carry out ing and feeding rates are of lower quality and have a greater poten­the best option for disease treatment or for correcting pond con­ tial to cause water pollution than effluents from ponds stockedditions at next page more reasonable rates.

SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture 24 (1) January - March 2002 13 Environment-Friendly S hrimp C ulture

• For infectious diseases that may spread widely, isolate the pond,An emergency plan should be made for containing accidental net harvest remaining shrimp, and disinfect the pond before dis­ spills charging water • The effluent should be treated before discharging if it does not comply with existing standards Therapeutic agents and other chemicals • Ponds should be drained in a manner to minimize resuspension There is considerable use of therapeutic agents and other chemi­ of sediment and prevent excessive water velocities in canals and cals in shrimp culture in Thailand. Some of the chemicals can be at effluent outfalls toxic to shrimp or accumulate in the flesh of shrimp and represent• Design outfalls so that no significant impacts of effluents on natu­ a potential hazard to the consumer. Also, some chemicals may ex­ral waters occur beyond the mixing zone ist in effluents as residues and be harmful to natural aquatic eco­• Shrimp pond effluents should not be discharged into freshwater systems. Reducing the use of these agents and chemicals will im­ areas or onto agricultural land prove environment performance but also reduce cost of operating• Sediment from ponds, canals or settling basins should be put shrimp farms. Shrimp health management should focus on disease back into areas from which it was eroded, used as earthfill, or prevention through good nutrition, sound pond management,disposed and in some other environmentally-responsible way overall stress reduction rather than disease treatment. • Sanitary facilities for disposal of human wastes and other health GMPs for safe use of therapeutic agents and other chemicals facilities should be provided include: • Garbage and other farm wastes should be managed by accept­ • Shrimp farmers should follow reliable information regarding dos­able methods age, withdrawal period, proper use, storage, disposal, and other• Shrimp farms should comply with existing governmental regu­ constraints on the use of a chemical including environmental andlations related to effluents and other wastes human safety precautions • Managers should routinely evaluate wastes management proce­ • When potentially toxic or bioaccumulative chemicals are used indures and continually attempt to improve them ponds, water should not be discharged until compounds have naturally decomposed to nontoxic form Social responsibility • Careful records should be maintained regarding use of chemi­Sometimes, conflicts arise between shrimp farmers and others who cals in ponds either live in the coastal zone or depend upon coastal zone resources • Store therapeutants in a cool place and in a secure manner wherefor their livelihood. Shrimp farmers also employ people, and con­ they will be inaccessible to unauthorized personnel, children, andflicts may arise over employee-employer relationships. Public re­ animals. Dispose of unused compounds by methods that preventlations and employee welfare are complex issues, but general guide­ environmental contamination lines presented in the GMPs will be useful in enhancing the pros­ • Drug, , and other chemical treatments should be donepects of harmonious interactions among large shrimp farming com­ in accordance with recommended practices and comply with allpanies, worker, and the local community. In Thailand there are national and international regulations many small shrimp farmers in addition to large company-operated farms, and many of the issues related to community relations will Effluent and solid wastes management be addressed through other sectors of the industry, such as govern­ Pond effluent often contains elevated concentrations of nutrients,ment regulations and shrimp farming associations. suspended solids, and possibly other potential pollutants. PondGMPs for improving community relations include: management GMPs outlined previously can help improve effluent • Shrimp farmers or associations should communicate with com­ quality and reduce effluent volume. Effluent quality can be further munity leaders improved by alterations of the discharge infrastructure and by the • This is particularly important in the planning stages for new farms timing and manner of final discharge. Shrimp farms also generate or expansions solid wastes that should be disposed of in a manner that does not • Shrimp farmers or associations should attempt to accommodate damage the aquatic or terrestrial ecosystem. traditional uses of coastal resources and encourage mangrove GMPs for effluent and solid wastes management include: replantation activities through a cooperative attitude towards es­ • Canals and embankments should be maintained in a manner to tablished local interests and environmental stewardship reduce erosion of above water portions • Shrimp farmers or associations should contribute to community • Minimize water exchange to the extent feasible efforts to improve local environmental conditions, public health • Use efficient fertilization and feeding practices to promote natu­ and safety, and education ral primary productivity while minimizing nutrient inputs • Local workers should be employed as possible, and they should • Store and use fuels, feeds and other products in a responsible be fairly compensated with respect to local wage scales manner to avoid accidental spills that could contaminate water.

14 SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture 24 (1) January - March 2002 E nvironment-Friendly Shrimp C ulture

• Healthy and safe living and working conditions should be pro­of the pipe depends on the distance of the best all-season water vided quality found offshore. The effluent will be treated in shrimp • Shrimp farm management should have clearly defined and posted farms before release into a common treatment facility and then security policies discharged into the water resource nearshore • Employees should have a clear understanding of their duties and• Shrimp Farm Consolidated System (SIS type The III). system is of company expectations regarding their performance the combination of the first two management systems. The water will be provided via a pumping system and stored in a common Farmer associations and education treatment facility. The drainage pumping system is also provided. Shrimp farmers should form cooperatives or associations by re­This type of water management is ideal for the shrimp industry; gion in order to exchange technology and to achieve cooperationit must be operated in a large area by the same management team in water use and waste management. Shrimp culture techniques and shrimp pond layout must be completely redesigned. There­ are also constantly improving, and it is important that shrimp op­fore, a land reclamation program is required erators continue to increase their knowledge of sustainable farm­ ing techniques. Criteria for site selection GMPs for farmer association and education include: Thailand has large areas for shrimp culture. It has developed site • Farmer associations should be encouraged. Meeting among mem­selection criteria for future construction plans as follows: bers should be routinely held for exchanging information on • A Shrimp Farming Association is required in order to keep shrimp culture farmers working closely together. The association committee • The farmers would participate in training in the aspects of shrimp selected from the members provides linkage between farmers farm management, in the manner of friendly environment prac­and the government. They will transfer the new technologies tices, and for law and regulation for shrimp culture industry and government regulations to the farmers while informing the • The association should promote “environmentally-friendly” prac­ government about the problems during the rearing period (e.g. tices shrimp disease) and the difficulties of doing shrimp culture under the new environmental protection law Data collection • The construction site must be on the coastal area outside a Data collection on the above topics and farm accounts should mangrovebe forest, preserving land for environmental protection done. Shrimp farming associations should cooperate with the de­ or other purposes, and protecting the area for tourism partment of Fisheries to collect, organize, and evaluate data to dem­• The site must be located away from a productive agricultural onstrate the adoption of GMPs and document the benefits of theirarea. If necessary, the construction sites near agricultural areas use. must have additional studies on environmental impact • All construction sites must have undergone which an EIAis included in the feasibility study prior to the engineering design work • The construction sites should be located on the area listed in SEAWATER IRRIGATION FROM PAGE 5 the Country’s Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP)

Implementation What is SIS Several SIS projects have been completed - in Ranot, Songkhla Several Seawater Irrigation Systems have been built and it is likely province; Ban Nakot, Nakorn Sri Thammarat province; and Kung that more will be constructed in the near future. The systems differ Krabaen Bay, Chanthaburi province. Others are in varying stages because of the variety of pond layout, different ecological systems of completion, and 28 more locations are on the list for feasibility and limitation of land utilization in different areas. They are nor­ study and engineering design. The ongoing project will cover a mally designed using three types of water management. shrimp culture area of 44,000 ha. The government has invested • Open System (SIS type InI). private shrimp farms most of US$ 77.28 million. Farmers are expected to pay for the operation which have their own water intake facilities, the DOF will pro­ and maintenance cost through the farmers cooperatives manage­ vide a drainage pumping system to collect shrimp farm effluentment system. which is then given appropriate treatment in a common reser­ voir. The water is pumped out to a safe distance offshore Project details • Bay System (SIS type II). High quality water supply will be pro­There are a few sites that have been completed on the southern vided by pumping through an underground pipeline. The lengthcoast of Thailand, in Ranot, Songkhla province and Nakot, Nakorn

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