Improving hatchery biosecurity for a sustainable shrimp industry in Bangladesh

Aquaculture (the farming of aquatic animals and plants) is a US$143billion international industry and the fastest growing food production sector globally. It is thought to be the most sustainable source of animal protein and its sustainable development is key for meeting the nutritional needs of the expanding human population. Shrimp has been one of the most valuable internationally traded food commodities for many years, and accounted for a major part (16%) of the global aquaculture export industry in 2016 (US$22.9billion). In Bangladesh, the shrimp industry provides food security, income and employment for an estimated 15 million people (11% of the population) and is the country's second biggest export product, accounting for 3.61% of its GDP. Growth of the industry is largely through intensification of farming methods, but this is not being managed in a sustainable way, resulting in increased levels of disease and substantial environmental impact. The resources, infrastructure, and knowledge required to facilitate the rapid intensification of the industry are lacking, and as a result disease has become a huge economic and social problem. Our team has been working with in-country partners to help gain a better understanding of the diseases affecting the industry and ways in which it can mitigate for future outbreaks. We have identified shrimp hatcheries as a key target for strategies to improve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of shrimp farming. The 59 hatcheries in the Cox's Bazar region of Bangladesh are the foundation of the industry: they collect adult shrimp from the local Bay of Bengal and acquire their eggs, which they rear to a juvenile "seed" stage before onward supply to the 150,000 shrimp farmers across the country. Thus, they play a key role in sustaining the entire industry. Even so, currently they do not produce enough seed to meet demand and are estimated to be operating at less than 50% of capacity, mainly due to disease. Our research has shown that very few Bangladesh hatcheries adhere to the standard operating procedures that have been shown to reduce the incidence and spread of disease, with management practices varying significantly across the industry.

In this project, we will work directly with 25% of the industry (15 hatcheries) in Bangladesh and carry out chemical and biological testing (i.e. testing for disease-causing microbes) of the water and animals at all the different stages of the hatchery process. We will also collect information on the hatchery management practices and finance records. This will allow us to identify ways in which each hatchery can better prevent and manage disease outbreaks whilst minimising their environmental impact. We will visit each hatchery to train all staff on biosecurity and present the data collected, before working with them to produce a bespoke management plan, which we will then support them to implement. We will also follow the seed produced by these "improved" hatcheries, to see whether they perform better than standard seed when introduced to farms, in terms of growth and health. Part of our work will involve working with the recipient farmers, to train them in the best way to introduce seed into their ponds, as our work has shown that this is the point in the farming process which incurs the greatest financial and animal losses. Finally, we will communicate the outcomes of the project through a wide range of media, to promote the uptake of these practices across Bangladesh. This will include institutional blogs and websites, a short online video aimed at a general audience, social media, project reports and peer-reviewed articles, and we will hold a stakeholder workshop at the end of the project to which all hatchery owners and other industry stakeholders will be invited. Overall our work should significantly improve the sustainability of the shrimp industry, by reducing levels of disease and improving the environmental impact.

The proposed work will reduce disease outbreaks and increase productivity in the Bangladesh shrimp farming industry, by improving the uptake of biosecurity best management practices in the shrimp hatchery sector (the foundation of the industry). We will directly work with 25% of hatcheries to ensure improved biosecurity, but effective and widespread dissemination of evidence supporting the economic benefits afforded by these measures should encourage uptake across the entire sector (59 hatcheries). The wider shrimp industry (which sustains the livelihoods of around 15 million people; 11% of the population), and in turn the national economy, will also benefit from increased access to training and improved employment opportunities, as a result of the predicted increased productivity across the industry. We will create digital training materials that can be quickly and easily disseminated via social media; these will be designed for maximal accessibility to ensure that they are available to all, irrespective of age, gender or literacy level, for maximum reach and impact. Successful implementation of the best management practices identified in the project will also deliver in improved workplace safety for aquaculture workers, including a reduction in the use of, and exposure to, toxic chemicals (e.g. formalin, hydrogen peroxide). Human exposure to pathogens such as Vibrio species, which can cause diarrhoeal disease and Mycobacterium and Erysipelothrix, which cause fish handler's disease, will also be reduced by increased biosecurity at hatcheries and farms, benefitting both workers and their families. Improved biosecurity and reduced chemical (including antibiotic) usage will also improve food safety for domestic and international consumers, and will reduce the selection/dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, a major global health challenge.

Poor water quality is a recognised issue in Bangladesh. We will use data on the levels of aquatic pollution in the water entering hatcheries to encourage wider dialogue on the issue of water quality. Further, our ebook will raise awareness of the importance and value of the local environment to hatchery owners and farmers. Reducing disease and increasing productivity in hatcheries will also help to limit their impact on the local environment, by reducing the release of chemical pollution from hatcheries and minimising the need for wild-caught animals. It will also improve animal welfare in hatcheries and farms by reducing morbidity and mortality. In line with this, our insights into the hatchery microbiome should support more sustainable use of local resources, for example promoting the use of probiotics rather than chemicals for managing animal health. A better understanding of the microbiome will support WorldFish in developing future disease diagnostic facilities, which is the focus of much of their current scientific activities and will enable WorldFish to grow capacity and expertise in the region. Our work will also help to validate PCR testing, which is seen as an important development opportunity for the aquaculture industry and is the focus of much investment and development research. Our comparative histopathology and sequencing data will help to better establish the value of PCR testing for future disease diagnostic facilities, informing future investment by WorldFish and the private sector in this area. Indeed, providing evidence of the economic impacts of increased biosecurity and generating greater demand for disease-free larvae from shrimp should help to attract future investment into diagnostic facilities. In addition, staff at WorldFish and ARBAN will benefit from increased knowledge of biosecurity and access to the digital tools, which they can use for future hatchery visits or workshops, creating a legacy for the current work and a model for future communications campaigns.