Farming of marine shrimp in Fiji

Image credit: Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Review: Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)

Preparation of a shrimp pond in Fiji

 

 

 

The inserted image shows the preparation of a shrimp pond in Fiji (liming). The following paragraphs review the development of farming of marine shrimp in Fiji.

The shortage in the supply of marine shrimp in Fiji compared to the demand is in favor of shrimp farming especially Fiji imports over 70% of shrimps (around 600 tons annually) from Australia and Solomon Islands for local consumption in particular for tourism. The estimated local supply of shrimp is less than 500 tons/year.

Even though the overall environmental and marketing situations are in favor of the potential production of high quality shrimp in Fiji, the progress towards that is not –so far- as hoped.

Then analysis of shrimp farming in Fiji highlighted the key factors hindering the development of shrimp culture which are topped by the shortage in the locally-produced shrimp post larvae and hence, the need to import the post larvae from overseas along with potential diseases accompanying the imported shrimp. The only shrimp hatchery is the one that belongs to Fisheries Department facility at Galoa, near Suva.

With the exception of the native shrimp species, Penaeus monodon, the imported species of broodstock and/or postlarvae include (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis, Fenneropenaeus indicus and Litopenaeus setiferus; Australia, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Hawaii and Brunei are the main sources of the non-native shrimp species.

 

 

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