Bangladesh ushers a new horizon as Harina shrimp likely to unlock new opportunities for fish farmers.

Brown shrimp, popularly known as ‘Harina’, could unlock new opportunities for fish farmers across Bangladesh’s coastal belt, experts said at a workshop held in Khulna today. With a short cultivation cycle of just two to three months, Harina shrimp allows the potential for three harvests annually. Compared to the widely farmed Baghda (tiger shrimp), Harina shrimp may offer greater profitability for coastal farmers, they observed.

The remarks came during the “Project Closing and Result Demonstration Workshop on Promotion of Brown (Harina) Shrimp Culture in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh”, hosted at the Fish Seed Production Farm and Training Center in Khulna’s Gallamary area.

Harina shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros), commonly found in coastal regions, is traditionally harvested from rivers or grown as a secondary crop alongside Baghda shrimp. an important portion of crustaceans and is of commercial importance throughout its range. It is also known as Speckled shrimp, Brown shrimp in English. Harina is a species of prawn in the family PENAEIDAE and Alpha Code: MPN. In Bangladesh Metapenaeus monoceros available from aquaculture and marine, both origins. Due to their low salinity preference, they are commercially cultivated in the same pond with the Black shrimp in Bangladesh. It is a meaty shrimp, firmly textured and mild in flavour. Adult Harina shrimps are pale grey with dark brown spots giving them the name brown shrimp or speckled shrimp. They have red–orange antennae and basically medium-sized prawns. Metapenaeus monoceros season were found to vary with time and location and environmental factors. In Bangladesh, December–April and August–September are the two main seasons.

However, a team of researchers led by Professor Dr. Mrityunjay Kundu and Professor Dr. Mohammad Enamul Kabir of Sylhet Agricultural University recently studied the feasibility of cultivating Harina shrimp as a standalone crop. After nearly a year of research, the project concluded with today’s event, highlighting the shrimp’s potential as a game-changer for coastal aquaculture. According to the researchers, Harina shrimp is hardy, disease-resistant and adaptable qualities that make it an ideal candidate for monoculture across Bangladesh’s 16 coastal districts. The research team has also developed a specially formulated feed tailored to support Harina shrimp farming.

The workshop was organised by the Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project (SCMFP) and chaired by Md. Jahangir Alam, Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries, Khulna Division. Md. Hasanuzzaman, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, was present as the chief guest.

Special guest Bipul Kumar Basak, Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries, also addressed the event, while Naim Ahmed, a student from Sylhet Agricultural University, moderated the session. The keynote paper was presented by Dr. Mrityunjay Kundu, principal researcher of the SCMFP project.

Team Maverick