Preliminary analysis of black tiger prawn culture: A Case of southern Thailand
1993
Sutonya Thongrak (Prince of Songkla Univ., Songkhla (Thailand). Faculty of Natural Resources. Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics)
Prawn farming in Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand was explained relative to farm characteristics and production problems. Data were mainly obtained by interviewing 76 independent prawn farmers. Farms are typically small with a mean number of ponds per farm slightly greater than one and most ponds are equal to or less than 2 rai in area. Two crops per year in a period of 4 months for each crop is widely practiced. Most prawn farms stock at too heavy a rate. Overall, water management systems are not appropriate. Most prawn farms discharge untreated wastewater directly to the coast, natural waterways and surrounding areas. As a result of those practices there exists water pollution throughout the cultivated area. Not only the villagers but also prawn farmers are adversely affected. The viable credit system plays a major role in sustaining such enterprises. Most farmers harvest prawns at a size of greater than 40 prawns per kg which is considered small. Prawns are primarily sold to the freezers at the farm gate with price determined by size and health. Most prawn farmers improve their income from prawn production. Even though all prawn farmers employ intensive systems, costs and returns vary substantially among farms. Prawn farmers strongly agree that the introduction of prawn farming to the district leads to economic growth and increasing employment, but it does generate significant adverse impacts. The results from this study clearly indicate that mismanagement practices are major problems of prawn farming. If prawn farming is expected to be sustainable, farmers have to change their current practices mainly by reducing stocking density and improving the quality of wastewater before discharge. For these changes to be encouraged, regulations and effective enforcement are needed to ensure that prawn farmers take care of some of the social costs. No less important, the preference nature of prawn farmers to short-term benefits to long-term gains has to be changed. Otherwise, we may no longer have prawn farming in the area like what happened in some provinces of Central Thailand.
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