The Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organization, is preparing Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA) plans for shrimp farming clusters in the Godavari Delta of Andhra Pradesh and the Cauvery Delta of Tamil Nadu.

MPEDA-National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is serving as the field partner to support the development of the EAA plans. Two aquaculture clusters have been identified for the initiative: the B. S. Murthy Aqua Farmers Welfare Society in the Godavari Delta, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, Andhra Pradesh, and the Karikala Cholan Aqua Farmers Welfare Society in Vanagiri, Sirkazhi, Tamil Nadu.

An expert team from BOBP-IGO, comprising Dr. K. Sunil Kumar and Dr. V. Anisha Shafni John, conducted in-depth stakeholder consultations and field visits in both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Stakeholders, including shrimp farmers and officials from the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and MPEDA-NaCSA, participated in the consultations.

The consultations highlighted several critical challenges faced by shrimp farmers, including disease outbreaks, crop losses, and low market prices for shrimp. These findings underscored the need for a comprehensive Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA) plan to address the major issues affecting the sustainability and resilience of shrimp farming in the selected clusters.