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J U D G M E N T Kuldip Singh, J.

Shrimp (Prawn Culture Industry is taking roots in India. Since long the fishermen in Indian have been following the traditional rice/shrimp rotating acqua culture system. Rice is grown during part of the year and shrimp and other fish species are cultured during the rest of the year. However, during the last decade the traditional system which, apart from producing rice, produced 140 kgs. of shrimp per hectare of land began to give way to more intensive methods of shrimp culture which could produce thousands of kilograms per hectare. A large number of private companies and multi-national corporations have started investing in shrimp farms. In the last few years more than eighty thousand hectares of land have been converted to shrimp farming. India's Marine export weighed in a 70,000 tonnes in 1993 and these exports are projected to reach 200 thousand tonnes by the year 2000. The shrimp farming advocates regard acquaculture as potential savior of developing countries because it is a short-duration crop that provides a high investment return and enjoys and expanding market. The said expectation is sought to be achieved by replacing the environmentally benign traditional mode of culture by semi-intensive and intensive methods. More and more areas are being brought under semi-intensive and intensive modes of shrimp farming. The environmental impact of shrimp culture essentially depends on the mode of culture adopted in the shrimp farming. Indeed, the new trend of more intensified shrimp farming in certain parts of the country - without much control of feeds, seeds and other inputs and water management practices - has brought to the fore a serious threat to the environment and ecology which has been highlighted before us.

- silt

- improper mixing, and

- large clusters of shrimp farms hinder the pasage of water into/out of the lagoon The bird sanctuary at Nalaban has also been affected by siltation and shrimp farming activities. 35 km of the canal mouth of the lagoon needs immediate attention, because the exchange of sea water into and from the lagoon is vital from ecological considerations. In additions deposited silt has to be removed, Shrimp farms must be closed down immediately to restore the Chilka lagoon, to its original ecological condition by application of scientific management practices * Subarnarekha Mouth A large number of shrimp farms have come up on both sides of the lower reaches of the Subarnarekha river to utilise the tidal brackish water as observed by the inspection team. It was reported to the inspection team by local people that this has resulted in water logging in upper reaches of Subarnarekha river * The inspection team observed that the shrimp farming is at least three times more than what has been presented by the State Govt. of Orissa * All the shrimp farms do not observe the MEF notification dated February 19, 1991. The creek/estuarine water based shrimp farms are also not observing the CRZ guidelines of MEF Agricultural land is being converted to shrimp farming because of Land Reform Act of Govt. of Orrisa * Artificial creeks are being constructed to allow high tides of creek/estuarine water into the large reservoir. In addition, this factor must result in flooding of low lying areas * Reservoirs act as a setting cum concentration basin. Therefore, it is necessary sometimes for the shrimp farmers to dilute this water by withdrawing groundwater, resulting in depletion of groundwater resources in the nearby villages. In addition, groundwater has become saline. This is confirmed by the situation in Adhuan village in Bhadrak district * The shrimp farming has resulted in several social problems viz.

These areas of marshy vegetation act as spawning/nursery grounds for a variety of estuarine/marine invertebrates, and fishes. These areas also provide wildlife habitats to several migrant birds.

(h) Impact on agriculture Dr. Alagarswami, Director CIBA identifies "indiscriminate conversion of agricultural lands into shrimp culture" as a critical issue. Most shrimp farmers in coastal areas have converted agricultural lands is the fact ponds. More relevant is the fact that shrimp industry causes salinisation of crop lands, Seawater (Salinity around 35 ppt i.e.35%) is pumped into the shrimp ponds. The growing period is from 120-150 days. This long detention of saline water in the shrimp ponds seeps into the adjacent crop lands and salinizes them resulting in reduction or productivity of even barrenness. Then this "Unproductive" land (so declared by the shrimp industries) is converted into shrimp ponds We are concerned that conversion of paddy fields to shrimp ponds is already adversely affecting local rice production. In all the places we visited in NUM district pattinamarudur of luticorin, Pulicat of Chengai MGR districts Etc; most of the shrimp ponds are constructed on fertile agricultural land or on marginal lands where on crop is raised.

"In areas densely covered with intensive shrimp farms, however, the industry is responsible for considerable self-pollution and particularly for bacteriological and viral contamination. Each hectare of pond produces tons of undigested feed and fasecal wastes for every crop cycle. This induces the growth of phytoplankton, protoza, fungus, bacteria and viruses (like the Vibrio group growing in shrimp faeces and in large part responsible for the 1988 collapse of Tasiwan's production) (Lin, 1989). The overuse of fertilizers and of veterinary and sanitary products such as antibiotics adds to the water pollution problem. It also contributes to the decreasing resistance of the shrimp stock. Where intensive shrimp farms are densely spaced, waste laden water tends to slosh from one pond to another before it is finally discharged into the sea. Shrimp producers are extremely concerned about assured supplies of clean water as it is vital for their immediate economic returns. Large amounts of sedimentation in intensive shrimp ponds is posing serious disposal problems for shrimp farmers. From 100 to 500 tons of sediment per hectare per year are apparently accumulating. Since only some 10 tons of feed is used to produce about 5 tons of shrimp per hectare per year, this raises questions about where such incredible quantities of sediment come from (Rosenberry, 1994a;42). Ponds are cleaned after each crop cycle and the sediments are often discarded in water ways leading into the sea, or they are sometimes used to build dikes. Their putrefaction inside and outside the ponds causes foul odours, hypernutrification and eutrophisation, siltation and turbidity of water courses and estuaries, with detrimental implications on local fauna and flora. .............Biodiversity losses: The impacts of semi- intensive and intensive shrimp aquaculture on biodiversity ("the totality of genes, species and ecosystems in a region") are multiple. This is because of the land area they cover; the water they pollute; the water circulation systems they alter; the wild fish and crustacean habitats they replace; the risks they pose of disease transfer; the impacts of released raised shrimp on the genetic diversity and resilence of indigenous shrimp and possibly also their negative impacts on other native fauna and flora.