The first phase of mass production of Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) shrimps was successfully accomplished this year (started March 21) in the southern Bushehr Province in coordination with the Presidential Office’s Department of Science and Technology, Iranian Fisheries Research Organization (IFRO) and the governorate of Bushehr, said Mohammad Pourkazemi, head of the IFRO.
The project was designed by the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad and supported by the IFRO. Iran is among the five countries which have advanced technology in production of disease-free shrimps. The $2.4 million project is aimed at prevention and control of disease in farmed shrimps, he said, IRNA reported.
Pourkazemi said the primary objective of the initiative was to selectively nurture the shrimp broodstock (mother shrimp) that has good hatchery performance for producing high-quality and fast growth shrimps on commercial farms.
SPF shrimp also has the potential to grow under intensive culture conditions, tolerates a wide range of salinities and temperatures, and requires lower protein diet. Generally considered more resistant to diseases, it spawns easily under captivity and has higher survival rates in hatcheries.
The project will deliver high-quality broodstock to shrimp hatcheries and ensure the supply of good quality shrimps required by small farmers at a price lower than imported shrimps, Pourkazemi said.
In recent years, shrimp culture in the Persian Gulf region where it has been developed in earth ponds, has become the main focus for the fisheries organization. About 88% of the total aquaculture production is for the domestic markets with shrimps and caviar being the main export commodity.
He pointed to monitoring of shrimp stocks in Iran’s territorial waters as an important measure of the IFRO and said the scientific team (Ferdos 1) has started shrimp research in Hormozgan Province in the Persian Gulf.
A major concern is the pollution caused by oil and petrochemical wastes into the northern Caspian Sea and the southern Persian Gulf waters that have adverse effect on marine life and water resources. A comprehensive plan for evaluation of the effect of pollution on the aquatic ecosystem, fisheries and fishing communities is currently being devised, he added.
The IFRO has allocated $758,000 for implementing research projects this year.
Pourkazemi said priority will be given to providing suitable places for fish farming and scientific support to develop indigenous and commercial breeds of fish. In this regard, the International Congress of Aquaculture will be held in December in Tehran.
