A new project, “Artemia4Bangladesh”, started in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh to produce Artemia cysts. The aim of the project is to introduce an integrated salt and Artemia production system to increase marine aquaculture production and productivity in salt farms in Cox’s Bazar area. The project has financial support from the European Union and will be developed by WorldFish Bangladesh.
Currently, the country imports 40 tons of Artemia per year for shrimp hatcheries, which is valued at around $4 million. Artemia culture in coastal salt farms is expected to open a new window of opportunities for marginalized salt farmers and the fisheries sector of Bangladesh.
The project started with a training session, “Artemia Inoculation in Pond and Management”, with Nguyen Van Hoa, professor at the Can Tho University in Vietnam and Patrick Sorgeloos, emeritus professor at the Ghent University.
The project team leader, Dr. Muhammad Meezanur Rahman, scientist of WorldFish, said at the event that the development of Artemia culture technology in Cox's Bazar's salt farms will not only improve the socio-economic condition of salt farmers but will also reduce the import dependence of Artemia.
