World Aquaculture - December 2014

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• WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2014 57
impacts into consideration,
which eventually led to a
collapse of industries in those
countries, it is necessary for
all stakeholders in Nigeria to
take precautionary measures
towards sustainable shrimp
farming. The clarion call for
sustainability is expedient in
lieu of the already degraded
Niger Delta environment
caused by oil pollution.
Prospects for Shrimp
Aquaculture
Nigeria has a long
coastline of 853 km and there
is a long fringe of unutilized
beach in the Niger Delta that
could be utilized for coastal
shrimp culture without
destroying the mangrove.
The Niger Delta is richly
endowed with freshwater,
brackishwater and marine
ecosystems. There are many
under-utilized borrow pits,
lakes, springs, creeks and
rivers—all of which are rich in
biodiversity—that could be used for shrimp farming.
The coastal shelf of the Niger Delta basin up to Qua Iboe
and Cross River supports rich shrimp fisheries. Shrimp are
also abundant at the mouths of Badagry, Lagos, Lekki Lagoon
systems and mouths of other rivers on the Delta. Penaeus
vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) and Penaeus monodon (giant
tiger prawn) account for roughly 80 percent of all farmed shrimp.
The freshwater prawn Macrobrachium spp are also farmed. The
estuarine shrimp, Nematopaleamon hastatus, erroneously called
“crayfish” locally, is a preferred condiment in many Nigerian
dishes.
The maximum potential yield of the Nigerian continental
shelf is estimated at 3,500-4,000 t.1 The shrimp fishery is
export-oriented. Annual inshore shrimp production in Nigeria
is estimated at 12,000 t, of which 8,000 t are exported. Nigeria
exports about US$65 million worth of shrimp to the European
Union, the USA and other
countries annually. This has
necessitated processing to
meet international standards.
Nigerian shrimp is highly
valued in the international
market (Amire 2008). In
addition, some shrimp are
dried for export to other
African countries.
Commercial shrimp
farming is a new venture
in Nigeria, recently
pursued by mostly oil
giants and their foreign
collaborators. In an attempt
to boost Nigeria’s shrimp
production and export, Shell
Petroleum Development
Company (SPDC) and the
United States Agency for
International Development
(USAID) proposed in 2004
to embark on industrial
shrimp aquaculture in the
Niger Delta. This has not
materialized.
The Nigerian economic
pursuit can no longer be
dependent exclusively on dwindling capture fisheries (FAO 2008).
The prospect is tilting towards aquaculture; hence, commercial
shrimp farming is a welcome development.
Challenges of Shrimp Aquaculture in Nigeria
Development of the Nigerian shrimp and prawn industry
faces the following problems and constraints:
• Fully or over-exploited wild capture shrimp production.
• Limited knowledge or exposure to shrimp and prawn
farming.
• Absence of locally produced feeds for shrimp and prawn
farming.
• Lack of infrastructure development. For sustainability, good
seed for stocking should be obtained from standard hatcheries, of
which there are none presently in the Niger Delta area.
TABLE 2. Projected population and fish demand in
Nigeria, 2006-2025.
YEAR POPULATION FISH DEMAND
(MILLION) (MILLION TONNES)
2006 140.0 2.66
2007 144.5 2.75
2008 149.1 2.83
2009 153.9 2.92
2010 158.8 3.02
2011 163.9 3.11
2012 169.1 3.21
2013 174.5 3.32
2014 180.1 3.42
2015 185.9 3.53
2016 191.9 3.65
2017 198.0 3.76
2018 204.3 3.88
2019 210.9 4.01
2020 217.6 4.13
2021 224.6 4.27
2022 231.7 4.40
2023 239.2 4.54
2024 246.8 4.69
2025 254.7 4.84
Source: Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources,
Fisheries Department (FDF).
( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 5 8 )
TABLE 3. Proposed Income Generation and Job creation for Nigeria (Source: Chemonics International Inc.)
CRITERIA BASE YEAR IN 2 YEAR S IN 5 YEAR S IN 10 YEAR S
(2003) (2005) (2008) (2012)
Total Export $56 Million $85 Million $168 Million $384 Million
Total Job Creation 3,306 4,475 26,575 83,950