This report is part of the Technical Cooperation Project TCP/BGD/3101 entitled “Developing a national shrimp seed certification system”, which has the objective to develop and promote a government and private sector based participatory programme of shrimp broodstock management and seed certification in Bangladesh. The project is intended to help in improving the overall sustainability of the shrimp-farming sector in Bangladesh while reducing the financial and social risks to the small-scale, vulnerable rural shrimp farmers.
The initial reports1 from the first mission of this project discussed the current status of the shrimp hatchery industry within the overall context of the Bangladeshi shrimp farming system. They highlighted the problems faced by the shrimp culture industry, with special reference to collection of broodstock, production of postlarvae (PL) and PL distribution areas. They also discussed the context of the proposed certification and quality assurance systems and their current relevance to the industry.
After analysis of the current conditions in the Bangladeshi shrimp hatchery industry, it became clear that implementation of a seed certification system would be premature at this time. It appears that more immediate benefits will likely be derived from the development of a shrimp seed quality assurance system, which would later serve to underpin the establishment of a certification/traceability system.
This document outlines draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on good broodstock collection and hatchery production/management, including simple, practical quality standards throughout the PL supply chain. The SOPs are aimed at providing practical guidance on implementation of a Code of Practice and supporting hatchery operators with relevant practical information on better hatchery management. This is in order to help promote production of high-quality PL from Bangladeshi hatcheries for sale to the pond farmers and to underpin future certification efforts.
Further work is required in drawing up similar SOPs for the nursery and pond on-growing aspects of the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh, with particular emphasis on raising farmer awareness of the requirement for high-quality fry and the methods for their assessment.
These draft SOPs were discussed with all relevant stakeholders and formed the basis of a series of four training courses in these techniques offered to the hatchery operators in Cox’s Bazar and Khulna in January and February 2009. The final corrections were made during the National Workshop on Shrimp Seed Quality Assurance in Bangladesh held from 5th-18th April, 2009.
Additional input from separate studies of the broodstock collection and handling practices and the distribution and nursing of shrimp seed that are being carried out will be incorporated into these SOPs once they are finished. Subsequently, this document will be finalized and then used to form the basis of awareness-raising materials for publication in both English and Bengali and distribution to all interested parties.
Ideally, each hatchery should develop its own set of SOPs, which can be based on the SOPs presented in this document. SOPs outlining the control protocols for the hatchery should be described in a comprehensive document that covers each stage or process of the production cycle and describes how to perform each task to control the associated risk.
The SOPs should then be given to all personnel, and a copy should be available for all workers in an accessible place (dining room, meeting room, etc.). A meeting should be held to introduce the protocol and explain the need for, and contents of the SOPs. This is a good opportunity to clearly identify and explain any points that generate doubts or that may be misinterpreted and to get practical input from the hatchery staff. As new information becomes available, it will be necessary to update or modify the SOPs, and any changes must be communicated to all personnel. Any updated version of the SOPs should have the date of the modification and a clear statement that the new version supersedes all previous versions.
All workers should sign a document indicating that they have read and understood the SOPs, and that they will comply with all requirements. All job descriptions of hatchery management and staff should include a clause related to following the SOPs and the disciplinary consequences of failure to comply.
