July 18, 2006

Thai shrimp farms buying seawater to keep businesses afloat

There is a demand for everything, even salt water, one of the most abundant substances in the planet. Shrimp farmers in southern Thailand are now buying salt water to keep their prawns alive as heavy rainfall has diluted the salinity in their ponds, the Bangkok Post reported.

Salt water in the Songkhla Lake was being diluted by the ever-increasing rainfall generated by La Nina the weather phenomenom that is the bane of farmers in most parts of the world.

La Nina causes cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific and brings humidity over the ocean to the land, leading to a sharp rise in rainfall.

Normally, water from the lake, when blended with fresh water in the shrimp hatchery, would be enough to keep shrimps alive. However, as the lake water is being diluted by the increasing rainfall, breeders are finding it necessary to truck in sea water from the Gulf of Thailand.

Sakda Mannantakul, owner of a large farm on the lake, said the price of salt water had more than doubled from about THB1,200 (US$31.7) to THB 3,000 (US$78.6) for a 15,000-litre load.

The high price could force some shrimp farmers out of business and cause shrimp output to fall as much as 50 percent.

One man's loss is another man's gain, however. The freshwater fish industry views the heavier rainfall as a godsend as catches have risen over 20 percent, according to Supol Tansuwan, director of the coastal aquaculture research centre.