Notes on the Wasted Ichthyoplankton Due to Wild Harvest of Tiger Prawn Seed from Junput (East Midnapur District), West Bengal

Mangrove ecosystem in coastal West Bengal has increased the fish productivity of the state as it acts as the nursery of finfish juveniles and cradle of several species of shellfish. In West Bengal shrimp farming is being practiced in most of the saline pockets of the state as the major livelihood programme. To sustain this aquaculture, tiger prawn seeds are procured from the coastal water, estuaries and mangrove creeks. The ischolar_main of this ecologically adverse practice is basically related to high demand for prawn seeds by the coastal shrimp culture farms and absence of tiger prawn hatchery in the entire state of West Bengal. During the collection of prawn seeds several nontarget species (juveniles of several finfish and shellfish, other than tiger prawn seeds ) are trapped in the net. thrown away and wasted. This may pose an adverse impact on the pelagic and demersal fish reservoir in ecosystem The present communication aims to highlight this aspect at Junput located at East Midnapur district in West Bengal. From this area 37 species of finfish juveniles have been recorded, which are thrown ashore and wasted during the wild tiger prawn seed collections.