Historical development of aquaculture in Thailand

Dr. Jiraporn KasornchandraDr. Jiraporn Kasornchandra

Department of Fisheries, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and CooperativesMinistry of Agriculture and Cooperatives

Thailand has a tThailand has a total area ofapproximately 513,120 squarekilometres (198,120 sq mi)

Thailand is bounded byThailand is bounded bythe Gulf of Thailand on the east coastthe Gulf of Thailand on the east coastthe Andaman Sea on the western coast the Andaman Sea on the western coast

Total coastline 2,815 kmEastern coastline 544 kmSouth-eastern coastline 1,334 kmSouth-western coastline 937 km

Geography of Thailand

Total cultivated area for inlandaquaculture is approximate1,008,000 rai (155,100 ha), mostlylocated in the central part of Thailand

Total cultivated area for coastalaquaculture is approximately 326,183 rai (50,182 ha) along the coastline

Aquaculture in Thailand

Aquaculture in Thailand

• Developing considerably since the beginning of the century• Dividing into two categories:

- freshwater aquaculture- coastal aquaculture

Culture methods in aquaculture

1. Extensive culture : photosynthetic production: fertilizer apply

2. Semi-intensive system- increase production- provide extra nutrients

3. Intensive culture - supply seed, fresh water and feed- need sufficient oxygen- increase stocking density- high production

Culture system for freshwater fish in Thailand

1. Pond2. Paddy-field3. Cage culture4. Ditch

Tilapia

More than 50 freshwater aquatic species have been cultured

hybrid catfish

Java barb

Giant river prawn

Red Tilapia

Skin gourami

Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was first introduced into Thailand in 1964 by Emperor Akihito of Japan who presented the fish to HM King Bhumibhol. The fish began to breed prolifically in a palace pond, then was given to the Department of Fisheries which soon distributed around the country.

Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Contribution of tilapia production is around 29% of total aquaculture production. Its cultivation is now moving away from green-water fertilized system towards pellet-feed intensified system. The main culture types are genetic selection strains such as Chitralada (for normal tilapia) and Tabtim strains (for red tilapia). They can be cultured both in ponds and cages.

Tilapia

Giant river prawn are cultivated mainly in ponds in the central and north eastern areas of Thailand. Extensive and semi-intensive culture systems are applied for raising giant river prawn of which 90% of production for domestic consumption and 10% for export.

Coastal aquacultureMajor commercial species:

Shrimp - white shrimp - black tiger shrimp

Fish - sea bass - grouper

Other commercial species:Fish - milkfish, cobiaMollusk - green mussel, blood cockle,

oysterCrab - mud crab

- blue swimming crab

Coastal aquaculture production in 2010

Source: Thailand Department of Fisheries

Sea bass culture (Lates calcarifer)

• First success breeding of sea bass in 1973 at National Coastal Aquaculture Institute, DOF

• Easy to breed, hatch and nurse• Easy to culture, can grow in various environment• Earthen pond and cage culture

Epinephelus coioides , Epinephelus malabaricus, Cromileptes altivalis, EEpinephelus lanceolatus Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, Plectropomus leopardus

•easy to culture and mostly culture in cages•good taste, good price for live fish•difficult to breed, low survival rate

Grouper culture

Leopard grouperPlectropomus leopardus (Bloch)

Giant grouperEpinephelus lanceolatus

Potential commercially high value groupers

Tiger grouperEpinephelus fuscoguttatus

Other commercial marine finfish

CobiaRachycentron canadum (Linnaeus)

Milkfish Chanos chanos

Spotted scat Scatophagus argus

Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis

Short-bodied mackerel Rastrelliger brachysoma

Cobia was successfully spawned in hatchery since 1992 at the Fisheries Research Station, Phang-nga. In 2006, mass production of fry and fingerlings cobia were produced at the Coastal Research and Development Center, Krabi and those cobia have been farmed in the net pen cages in Phuket as a pilot industrial-scale fish farm under the Thai-Norwegian Post-tsunami Project.

Mollusc culture

Blood cockle (Anadara granosa) Oyster (Crassostrea belcheri) Green mussel (Perna viridis) Abalone (Haliotis asinina) Spotted babylon (Babylonia areolata)

Crab culture

• Decrease of natural mud crabs and blue swimming crabs

• High demand and high price• Development of breeding and culture technology• Their aggressive behavior causing low survival rate

Mud crab culture

• Lack of good quality of berried crab or spawner crabs

• Four mud crab species:– Scylla olivacea– S. paramamosain– S. tranquebarica– S. serrata

Mud crab culture

• Cultivation in basket• 1-2 crabs/basket• Feeding with small fish or pellet-feed 1 time

daily• Taking 4-8 months to reach marketable size,

2-4 pieces/kg

Blue swimming crab culture

Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus)Breeding Status – more than 12% survival rateLimitation: difficult to develop to marketable size (3-5 piece/kg )

Marine shrimp culture

• First breeding success of Penaeus monodon by Phuket Coastal Aquaculture Station, Department of Fisheries in 1972

• Marine shrimp culture grown steadily since 1985

• Success in mass seed production of black tiger shrimp and advance in culture technology

• Intensive culture system high stocking density and high quality feed

• Have reservoir• Production can be as high as 15 tonnes/ha/crop • Must have wastewater oxidation ponds for

treatment before discharge, the BOD of the effluents must not exceed 10 ppm

2002: Expansion of white shrimp industry (Penaeus vannamei)

2006 until present: 99% of shrimp production are white shrimp

Farm Standard

2001 : Establishment of shrimp farm certification system - Good aquaculture practice (GAP) standard - Code of Conduct for responsible Aquaculture (CoC) standard

2002 : Establishment of fish farm certification system2002 : Establishment of fish farm certification system - Good aquaculture practice (GAP) standard

Certification Schemes

2001/2002 : Establishment of farm certification system - Good aquaculture practice (GAP) standard - Code of Conduct for responsible Aquaculture (CoC) standard

2002 : 2002 : Traceability developmentFry movement document; FMD

Hatchery FarmMovement document ; MD

Farm Processing plant

Marine shrimp standard

National standardGAP TAS 7401-2009 for marine shrimp culture farm

– Quality and safety– Environmental-friendly– Social responsibility– Animal health and welfare– Traceability

Key success for Thailand aquaculture development

• Suitable location • Diversity of species cultured• Appropriate cultured practices• Knowledge based on coastal aquaculture• Competence of farmers in breeding, nursing, culturing

and technology adaption• Competence of government and private sector in

aquaculture management to meet international standard

Major constraints affecting aquaculture development in Thailand

– Inadequate of good quality of seeds and broodstocks

– Inadequate of effective genetic improvement programs

– Animal health/disease outbreaks– High production cost– Feed quality

Government policy on aquaculture:

1. Increasing aquaculture production by 5 percent annually

2. Set up the strategies: - strengthening of aquaculture techniques and management- promoting cost-effective and

environmentally- friendly aquaculture- upgrading production quality and hygiene- expanding markets for aquaculture products

Direction of Aquaculture Development

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