Nigeria can improve revenue base from shrimps production—Researcher

Why the research on shrimps?The idea was conceived during a PhD field research. Five species of shrimps were caught in 1998 and since then I have had interest in trying to know if these five species are indigenous to our waters (River Benue and its tributary water River Mu) or do they migrate at some […]

Why the research on shrimps?
The idea was conceived during a PhD field research. Five species of shrimps were caught in 1998 and since then I have had interest in trying to know if these five species are indigenous to our waters (River Benue and its tributary water River Mu) or do they migrate at some certain point of their life to River Benue? Also, I was fascinated by the fact that it is a branch of fisheries that has really not been explored compared to the fin fish species of the waters in Nigeria.
What have you achieved so far from the research?
The improved study of these species is targeted at achieving, first and foremost, a good knowledge of the species in question. The study is also to be able to know if they can be cultured in captivity and become one of the cultivable shell fish species in aquaculture. Therefore the study aims at knowing fully the reproductive biology of these shrimps throughout the year.  What kind of food will boost their growth (food and feeding habits of the species) and what kind of pond culture system will be more suitable for them in order to obtain maximum growth. I was awarded a grant in 2010 and it came to an end in 2013 under the Competitive Research Grant Scheme (CARGS) from the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).
What major challenges are you facing in the effort to improve commercial production of shrimps?
Basically, we are trying to tackle the major challenges which are: finance, land acquisition for mass production, pond construction and modern equipment for artificial rearing and expert skill in the production of these species.
Have you concluded the research?
No, the research has not been concluded, so far the stock assessment of these shrimp species, the indigenous knowledge of the species from Benue, Kogi and Niger states, the food and feeding habit of Atyagabonensis, parasitic prevalence of Atyagabonensis caught from the wild from the Lower River Benue have been studied to a considerable extent.  There is still extensive work needed to be done in the aspect of reproductive biology of species available.
Can this species be grown throughout the year?
Yes, these species can be grown throughout the year because the works done on black tiger shrimp (Peanusmonodon) at the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and ARAC show that they can be grown throughout the year.
In what way can the local farmer benefit from the research?
Freshwater shrimps have benefits to the fish farmers as a source of income; to the consumer as a source of protein and essential minerals needed in the body; to the nation’s income it has a benefit by serving as a source of generating revenue from the aspect of aquaculture and for export of the shrimp species to other countries that also contribute a great deal to the national GDP.
Nigeria is one of the tropical countries that export shrimps to developed countries like USA, Japan and some European nations with a production capacity of 12,000 metric tonnes (MT) annually. In 2000, shrimps worth US $46,495, amounting to about N5.58 billion, were exported from Nigeria and 43.35% revenue generated by the federal government from fish production in 2001 came from shrimp and shrimp licenses (FDF, 2003).
Would you say government at various tiers have given adequate attention to this agric sector?
No, government at the state level and local government level have not paid attention to this sector but rather have their focus on fin fish production. But at the federal level, government has awarded grants to some fishery institutes and Federal University of Agriculture for research in the sector.
How can government empower the unemployed youth through shrimps farming?
Government can do so by creating job opportunities in shell fish production through entrepreneurship skill acquisition on how to manage and own shrimps farm by giving grants to successful candidates as regards to shrimp culture through the YOUWIN competition and SURE-P entrepreneurship scheme.
What is your take on genetic modification of this research?
There is need for genetic modification; for the fin fish to get to this point of advancement in aquaculture it is through genetic modification. I believe that through genetic modification, we can get shrimps stocks that will be more disease resistant, have better growth rate and better breeding abilities.