How farmers are solving Satkhira’s shrimp farming crisis 

Gold prices are soaring. But are coastal regions' "white gold" going extinct? 

For decades, shrimp farming fuelled the economy of coastal districts and brought in millions of dollars in foreign currency through exports.

While one-third of Bangladesh's total shrimp production comes from Satkhira district, today, many farmers in the region are abandoning the trade altogether. 

The reasons have been piling up for a while: shortage of quality post-larvae, mounting debt, lack of institutional support, erratic weather, disease outbreaks, and volatile market prices.

On the verge of quitting

Just months ago, local farmer Abdur Rahim was preparing to walk away from shrimp farming. Three consecutive years of losses had left him buried under bank loans. The ponds that once supported his family had become a source of anxiety.

Then he noticed something unexpected.

A neighbouring farmer — someone he barely knew — had earned a remarkable profit from shrimp cultivation this year. The weather conditions were the same. The ponds stood side by side. The labour was nearly identical.

But the difference lay elsewhere: farming technique and the type of shrimp larvae being used.

That observation sparked renewed interest among many farmers in Satkhira, where traditional shrimp cultivation methods are increasingly being questioned.

Returning home with a different dream

Hafizur Rahman Masum never planned to become a conventional entrepreneur.

After completing both his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Anthropology at Dhaka University, he returned to his hometown in Satkhira instead of pursuing a corporate career.

He wanted to build something sustainable — something that could provide a livelihood not only for himself, but for others in the community.

At the same time, he remained deeply concerned about environmental degradation caused by chemical-heavy aquaculture practices.

So he began researching.

He spent months studying shrimp farming techniques online, consulting fisheries experts, and experimenting with environmentally safe cultivation methods.

Eventually, he introduced Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) all-male giant freshwater prawn farming in several ponds in Hirarchak and nearby embankment areas of Debhata.

Even Masum was surprised by the results.

Over the past few years, Masum has consistently made profits from shrimp farming. 

Over the past few years, he has consistently made profits from shrimp farming — enough to start thinking about expanding operations.

According to the Department of Fisheries, giant freshwater prawns are being cultivated on nearly 20,000 hectares of land in Satkhira this year, with a production target of 11,000 tonnes. Demand for shrimp larvae in the district has reached around 40 million.

The promise of SPF all-male prawns

Masum believes one misconception has long held the industry back.

"People think shrimp farming always requires saline water. That's true for bagda shrimp, but not entirely for freshwater prawns. Giant freshwater prawns, locally known as galda, release larvae in saline environments but grow in freshwater," he explains. 

"That means they can be farmed almost anywhere in Bangladesh," he says.

The larger breakthrough, however, lies in gender selection.

Female prawns do not grow much once they begin carrying eggs. Male prawns, on the other hand, continue growing much larger.

For years, farmers cultivated male and female prawns together without realising how much productivity they were losing. Now hatcheries are increasingly producing SPF — Specific Pathogen Free — all-male prawn larvae.

The shift is gradually changing the economics of shrimp farming.

"If farmers follow Good Aquaculture Practices [GAP] and avoid chemical fertilisers, shrimp farming can become both profitable and environmentally safe," Masum says.

The export market is also showing growing interest in SPF prawns. In Satkhira Sadar, Debhata and Ashashuni, more farmers are beginning to adopt the method.

Still, challenges remain.

The price of SPF larvae remains high because supply is limited. Each larva currently costs between Tk4 and Tk4.5.

"If the price came down to Tk2 or less, it would become affordable for many more farmers," Masum says.

How hatcheries are producing better galda larvae

In the wild, giant freshwater prawns migrate toward slightly saline waters to hatch their eggs. That is why larvae can often be found around estuaries and coastal river mouths. But for commercial farmers trying to ensure stable production, relying on nature alone is rarely enough.

That dependence has pushed hatcheries to the centre of Bangladesh's modern shrimp industry.

"People think shrimp farming always requires saline water. That's true for bagda shrimp, but not entirely for freshwater prawns. Giant freshwater prawns, locally known as galda, release larvae in saline environments but grow in freshwater. That means they can be farmed almost anywhere in Bangladesh."  Hafizur Rahman Masum, aquaculture entrepreneur, Satkhira 

Inside these controlled facilities, egg-carrying female prawns are kept under carefully monitored conditions where larvae are produced artificially. Water temperature is typically maintained between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius, while salinity levels are kept between 12 and 16 ppt — conditions considered ideal for hatching.

Once the eggs hatch, the larvae pass through 11 to 12 developmental stages before eventually transforming into post-larvae suitable for freshwater ponds.

The breeding process itself is equally controlled. Mature female and male prawns are stocked together at a ratio of 3:1 for reproduction. After fertilisation, the females are transferred into separate tanks where the eggs are allowed to hatch safely.

The system allows hatcheries to produce a steady supply of comparatively high-quality larvae throughout the season.

How farmers tell male and female prawns apart

For adult fresh water prawns, distinguishing between male and female is relatively straightforward.

Male prawns grow noticeably larger and heavier than females, with fully mature males sometimes reaching between 150 and 250 grams. Females, meanwhile, tend to remain smaller in both size and weight.

Their appearance also differs. Male prawns develop much larger, longer and often bluish second pairs of claws, while females have slimmer and shorter ones.

Female prawns also have broader, rounder abdomens because they carry eggs there. Male prawns, by comparison, have narrower and flatter bellies.

Identifying sex at the larval stage, however, is far more complicated. That is why farmers largely depend on hatcheries for sex-selected larvae.

Still, experienced shrimp farmers say years spent working in ponds eventually teach them to recognise subtle differences between male and female larvae long before the prawns fully mature.

Female prawns have slimmer and shorter claws. 

An acre generating Tk400,000 profit

Masum says a properly managed 100-decimal pond can generate annual profits of Tk5 lakh to Tk6 lakh.

Two farming approaches are commonly used.

One relies on artificial aeration systems that maintain high oxygen levels in water. The other uses lower stocking density and natural pond management without heavy technological support.

Under low-density farming, around 12,000 juvenile prawns are stocked in a one-acre pond after being raised in nursery ponds.

The process requires careful management of calcium, magnesium and potassium levels, alongside protein-rich feed.

The prawns spend roughly 40 to 45 days in nursery ponds and another 120 days in grow-out ponds.

Within around six months, each prawn can reach nearly 100 grams in weight.

That size fetches premium market prices.

During peak shrimp season between June and August, SPF prawns can sell for Tk1,400 to Tk1,600 per kilogram. After production costs, farmers may still earn around Tk1,000 profit per kilogram.

If production reaches 1,000 kilograms, total sales can climb to nearly Tk10 lakh from a single pond.

Even after accounting for expenses and depreciation costs, Masum estimates farmers can retain profits of roughly Tk4 lakh within six months.

"With proper management, shrimp farming can completely change a farmer's financial condition," he says.

And unlike many in the industry, he does not treat his methods as trade secrets. Anyone seeking advice is welcome to visit his farm.

Farming without chemicals

What sets Masum apart most is his refusal to use chemical fertilisers or disinfectants.

That approach still feels unfamiliar to many shrimp farmers in Satkhira. 

But Masum believes chemicals ultimately damage pond fertility and increase long-term risks.

The preparation process begins with removing sludge and drying ponds thoroughly. Water is later introduced gradually, while unwanted fish larvae are removed using tea seed cake. Throughout the process, farmers must ensure no black or rotten soil remains inside the pond.

"That kind of soil is extremely harmful for shrimp," Masum explains.

Instead of chemicals, he uses probiotics and prebiotics to maintain pond health. Fermented rice bran is used to create natural feed. For the first month, shrimp larvae depend largely on naturally occurring plankton. Sodium bicarbonate and probiotics are applied in measured proportions to maintain water quality.

As the prawns grow, feed management becomes increasingly important.

Too little feed slows growth. Too much feed pollutes water and harms both shrimp and the surrounding environment.

Maintaining biosecurity, Masum says, is equally critical.

"Even if you do everything correctly, one disease-carrying animal entering the pond can destroy the entire production cycle," he says.

A changing mindset in Satkhira

Across Satkhira, more shrimp farmers are slowly beginning to realise that decades of mixed male-female cultivation may have been one of the industry's biggest mistakes.

The region's "white gold" may not be disappearing after all.

But survival now depends on strategy, science and sustainability.

As afternoon wind ripples across the ponds in Debhata, the water moves gently under the summer sun.

Somewhere beneath those small waves lies the story of next season — one that coastal farmers are still trying to rewrite.