“Thailand is a natural home for this Conference,” AIT President Prof.
Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai remarked as he welcomed 150 delegates from
34 countries. The story of Thailand’s association with freshwater
prawn farming dates back to the trials initiated by Thailand’s
Department of Fisheries in 1956, whose success spawned a global
interest in freshwater prawn. Sustainability, traditional dietary
habits, and trade are factors that helped freshwater prawn farming gain
acceptability in Thailand.
The key organizer of Giant Prawn in 1980 was Michael New, Chairman of
Aquaculture without Frontiers and former President of the World
Aquaculture Society. Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the event aimed at expanding freshwater
prawn farming.
For the 2017 edition, he teamed up with Dr. Krishna R Salin of AIT.
Through his address to the participants, which was read on his behalf
by Dr. Salin, Michael traced the contours of freshwater prawn farming.
Providing an update on global farmed freshwater prawn production, he
enumerated the causes behind the decline in interest.
Speaking on behalf of shrimp farmers was Mr. Pinyo Kiatpinyo, Advisor
to National Farmers Council, Thailand, who regretted that Giant Prawn
was “not a giant any more as it has started disappearing from our
tables.” He solicited expert opinion from the Conference participants
hoping that their recommendations would help farmers in the
region.
Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General, Network of Aquaculture Centers
in Asia Pacific (NACA), Bangkok
and Mr. Sontipun Pasugdee, Director of the Inland Aquaculture Research
and Development Division of Thai Dept. of Fisheries, delivered the
opening remarks at the event, while Uthairat Na-Nakorn spoke on
“Research and development work and current status of Macrobrachium
farming in Thailand.” They mentioned that Thailand was once a leading
producer, but its position has since then declined as it produces only
about 10 per cent of the global supply. China is the global leader
today followed by Bangladesh, and 53 countries have reported freshwater
prawn farming.
The four-day conference also saw experts present the status in their
respective countries. C. Mohanakumaran Nair spoke about the “Status of
Macrobrachium farming in India,” while Tran Ngoc Hai presented the
“Status of Macrobrachium farming in Vietnam and prospects for further
development” in Viet Nam, and Yang Guoliang elaborated on “Small-scale
farming of M. nipponense and M. rosenbergii in China. “
The four-day event was preceded by a three-day training on “Advances in
Hatchery Production of freshwater prawns” 17-19 March 2017.
