“Improving hatchery biosecurity for a sustainable shrimp industry in Bangladesh”
(English and Bengali)
We are working with shrimp hatcheries in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh to understand their current biosecurity practices and risks. This is allowing us to identify cost-effective ways to improve hatchery biosecurity, and to help them reduce their risk of disease, increase productivity and lower their environmental impacts.
Our project includes a range of activities to address hatchery biosecurity, targeted at both hatcheries themselves and their wider environment:
Key Features
Collecting data on current hatchery biosecurity practices and attitudes.
This has helped us to understand the key risks and opportunities for improvement, and will allow us to evaluate impact at the end of the project.
Analysis of biological samples.
This has helped us to examine where the major biosecurity risk areas are within hatcheries, by analysing pathogen levels in samples collected from different hatchery areas.
Collecting socioeconomic data.
This has helped us to understand the social and financial aspects of hatchery management practices, and how these might be impacting on biosecurity.
Developing a set of digital biosecurity training videos.
We hope that these will make biosecurity training more accessible for all.
Creating a biosecurity self-assessment app.
This is a learning tool aimed at senior hatchery staff, to help them understand and address biosecurity practices across their hatchery.
Preparing monitoring template sheets, to help hatcheries identify biosecurity issues as early as possible.
Producing a documentary video of the project, to raise awareness of the issue and how our project is addressing it.
Identifying feasible solutions to address two of the major limitations affecting the future growth of the shrimp industry, namely sustainable water usage and a sustainable supply of post-larval animals.
Leadership
Kelly Thornber
Research Fellow in Sustainable Aquaculture, University of Exeter
Charles Tyler
Professor of Environmental Biology, University of Exeter
Md. Meezanur Rahman
WorldFish
Vishnumurthy Mohan Chadag
WorldFish
Team members
Sayed Abdullah Omar Faruk
WorldFish
Md. Khaled Saifullah Sarker
WorldFish
Partho Debnath
Zain Syed
Center for Communication Action Bangladesh
Syed Arifuzzaman
ARBAN
Steve Hinchliffe
Professor of Human Geography, University of Exeter
Doina Huso
WorldFish
Lisa Bickley
Industrial Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter
Md Abir Hasan
WorldFish
Training Videos
PROJECT PUBLICATIONS
Any reports or publications associated with this project will be made available on this page, as they become available.
THANKS
This project would not be possible without the support of the participating hatcheries. Our sincere thanks go to all of them for warmly welcoming us into their hatcheries, readily working with us to collect data, photos and film footage, and giving us their valuable feedback.
CONTACT US
We would be happy to discuss our project further. Please contact the UK or Bangladesh team:
Dr Kelly Thornber, University of Exeter, UK
k.thornber@exeter.ac.uk
Dr Md Meezanur Rahman, WorldFish, Bangladesh
Muhammad.Rahman@cgiar.org