catching crabs
Meanwhile, farmers are testing ways to adapt to changing weather patterns and rising salinity – with mixed results.
Some are trying to boost yields by using new shrimp varieties, while others are branching out into crab-fatness.
Bangladesh has so far focused mostly on producing giant tiger shrimp, but disease, disasters, and limited access to finance and technology have caused production to stagnate.
Subrata Kumar Sarkar of MU Sea Foods Ltd, a prawn processing farm that has tested a variety called vannamei, said king prawns can tolerate changes in salinity and have good export potential.
“We are planning to increase our vannamei cultivation and the government should encourage its cultivation,” he said.
Other farmers are trying ways to supplement their shrimp business, including making crab-fat.
Lightcastle’s Ali said mud crabs are more resistant to climatic stresses such as salinity and temperature variation.
Farmers capture young crabs and artificially fatten them by feeding them a carefully managed diet in cages or pens.
Yet while there is some potential in the crab sector, it cannot become a substitute for shrimp production as local demand for crabs is very low and exports are limited, said Rahman of CEGIS.
Without hatcheries, farmers rely on catching wild crabs from near the Sundarbans, depleting their stocks.
Experts said such experiments are unlikely to improve the situation for communities unless decision-makers pay more attention to policy making for farmers on the ground.
Ali said farmers lack power in a fragmented shrimp value chain dominated by middlemen and often cannot make their voices heard despite being among the most affected by disasters and disease.
“The livelihood and welfare of farmers should be at the forefront of the priorities of policy-makers,” he said.