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Problems faced by Indian aquaculture units in early 1990s Shrimp aquaculture operations had started on the East Coast of India, around 1990. The variety cultivated was mostly Black Tiger, which was the variety in demand in international markets.The activity was so profitable that large areas of paddy (rice) fields were converted to salt water shrimp aquaculture. The production from the farms was raw material for a (mostly) thriving industry exporting frozen shrimp to USA, Japan and Europe. In 1994, an unidentified viral disease started attacking the shrimp farms in North lndia and many parts of Andhra Pradesh, which is the leading state in India for Aquaculture Development. The disease was called white spot disease and resulted in sudden mortality of the shrimps, resulting in heavy financial loss. The farmers were not in a position to control the viral attack due to lack of experience and non-availability of expert advice. The farms had also been developed haphazardly, without thought being given to good practices or for the sustainability of the industry. The disease spread very fast to the rest of the aqua farms in the country and the entire country was affected in two months from first sighting the problem. MPEDA, the nodal agency for development of Aquaculture in the country, also was not in a position to advise the farmers correctly and counter the viral attack. As part of the attempts to contain the disease, MPEDA declared a crop holiday for six months from March 1995. Farmers were advised to keep the farm dry and exposed to sunlight. Due to the Crop holiday declared by MPEDA, the farms did not go for a crop till October 1995. Meanwhile, aquaculture experts were invited from abroad to find a solution or the problem. Experts from Thailand. Taiwan and Indonesia were brought to India for studying the situation. The experts visited the farms in Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu and suggested application of vitamins, probiotics and irnmunostimulants to increase the immunity of the animals in order to fight the viral attack. They also suggested certain
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changes in the design of the farm. These medicines and modifications were very costly and increased the expenditure of farming by ten to fifteen percent. Some farmers, as per the expert advise further invested in the farm for changing the water intake system to a semi closed one by building a large reservoir to store and disinfect the water before filling the ponds. After the modification the farmers went for a new crop in October -November 1995. Even after the modifications and the importing of immunostimulants and other expensive medicines the second crop was destroyed by viral attack. Meanwhile, public interest litigations had been filed against salt water aquaculture, alleging that it polluted the coastal aquifers. The High Court of Madras, in October 1996, ordered the closure of all Aqua Farms in Tamil Nadu with immediate effect and asked the District Government authorities to file compliance with in a weeks time. The order was kept in suspense by the same bench since the Supreme Court of India was hearing a similar case. The Supreme Court came out with its verdict, which ordered the demolition of all farms within the Coastal Regulation Zone before March 31, 1997. It further ordered the companies to pay compensation to the workers at the rate of six years salary computed on the basis of the salary last drawn by the employees. The farms could not continue the aquaculture activity due to the Supreme Court ban. Since then the farms were lying idle without creating any income for the farmers. The farms being on the seashore, the rate of corrosion is very high for the machinery like pumps, generator sets, aerators, and pipes etc. The workers in the farms who were in different unions, demanded compensation as per the Supreme Court order and started agitating. They turned violent and resorted to destruction of the properties of the farms. The problems faced by the farms are summarised hereunder.

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a. Virus disease affecting the aquaculture farms all along the East Coast. b. Order of the Supreme Court to ban aquaculture in Coastal Regulation

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c. Labour problems at the farms.

Coastal Aquaculture in India has revived after establishment of a statutory body, Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India, who regulate aquaculture and have enabled it to revive, in a healthy manner.