Shellfish Breeding and Hatchery Management (2+1)

13.1.1 Site selection for a hatchery - Basic parameters

Sl.No.	Factor	Desired character	Undesired character	Implication	Corrective measure
1.	Site level	Moderately high ( 1 to 1.5 m from normal GL)	Very high or very low (>1.5 m & <0.1m from normal GL)	Very high level will make pumping cost high and fast seeping if ground is not impervious. Very low level will make drainage impossible or digging will lead to further downward move.	Pumping facility should be erected for high level site. The bundh should be made impervious. For low level ground, a separate drain canal below the pond bottom level should be planned. Mechanical drain should be made.
2.	Soil composition	Clay mixed with sand (Loamy soil – clay 60 – 65%)	High clay or high sand	High clay will interfere with the nutrient trapping and high sandy area will not hold water. Involves high cost for the construction of the water holding pond.	Sand to be mixed if clay is more. Clay should be imported into the pond site if sand is more.
3.	Soil pH	Must be between 8 and 8.5	>8.5 – highly alkaline <7.5 – acidic	High alkaline or acidic soil will make the culture difficult in terms of nutrient release and growth promotion.	Correction can be done with the application of alam or peaty soil or lime based on pH.
4.	Extend of the site	Must be between 1 – 25 acres)	Less than 1 acre and more than 25 acres	Lesser extend will not be economically feasible. More extend will enhance cost of production as it involves more overheads.	Only the required area should be developed for the farming.
5.	Cost of the land	Should be affordable for the project (Project dependent)	Too high price	Will make the project unviable. Will increase the cost of production thru indirect costing	Site with the affordable cost alone should be selected.
6.	Accessibility to the site	Must be easily accessible by road	Remotely located. Inaccessible.	Visiting the site will make cumbersome. The farmer will lose interest in going to the farm. Cost will be high for going and visiting the site.	Minimum accessibility level should be satisfied. Site with the accessibility should be selected. Accessible mode must be designed.
7.	Influence of natural calamities	Free of any natural calamity like flooding, heat waves, cyclone, etc	Frequently affected by natural calamity (easily flooded, highly drought prone, more heat, windy or cyclone hit areas)	Unexpected damage and loss. Farm may be a severe loss enterprise.	Site should not be selected.
8.	Water availability	Must be plenty	Low availability of water	Difficult to manage the crop in times of emergencies.	Suitable water sources should be located. Site with abundant water alone should be selected.
9.	Water suitability	pH must be >7.5 & <8.5; Hardness < 100 ppm No ions, no Iron, no pollutants, Less BOD & COD, No contamination with sewage	Deviating from the desired characters	No growth or fish kill, No productivity	Corrections can be done with water treatment, but involves cost and will affect the economics.
10.	Nearness of good water source	Must be so near so that expenses could be minimized on water transportation	Far away from the ponds	High cost for transportation of water. Water loss during transportation	Open conduits or closed pipes can be used for transportation.
11.	Accessibility to the site	Accessible by road.	Inaccessible. No road connection to the site	Reaching the site for construction as well as during crop operation will be very difficult	Road access has to be made for easy approach
12.	Labour availability near to the site	Enough labour must be available near the site.	No labour near the site	Cost for bringing the labour for work will be high	Low cost labour force should be identified near to the site
13.	Cost of labour	Must be reasonable	High cost for the labour	Construction cost will be too high and project cost will be unbearable	Labour cost must be checked and kept in control
14.	Availability of technical manpower	Technical managerial level personnel should be available near the site	No technical manpower available near the site	Difficulty in the regular operation of the farm	High cost has to be paid for bringing in manpower for the project
15.	Availability of power	Power must be available near or in the site	No power in the vicinity of the site	Use of diesel genset will increase the cost of production	Alternative power source should be identified and employed.
16.	Availability of inputs	All the inputs needed for the farm should be available near the site	Inputs availability is not assured or uncommon	Cost of production will increase on the transportation of the inputs	Inputs have to be brought from faraway places will affect the economics of the farming
17.	Availability of seeds for the farm	Seeds must be available easily near the farm site for stocking or brood stock must be available nearby.	Seeds not available near the site	It will be difficult to stock the farm with the seeds and cost of transportation will affect economics	Seeds must be located
18.	Availability of Institutional technical support	Must be available near the site	No technical support for the farming	Trouble shooting in the farming will be very difficult	Suitable place should be identified for the technical support.
19.	Poaching or theft	No poaching or pilferage in the area.	Site with anti social elements	Trouble in running the farm	Sites with such troubles should be avoided
20.	Social problems	No social problems in the area. No social issues for the farming	Area with social unrest	More difficulties in running the farms. More issues to be settled	Site with social unrest should be avoided.
21.	Market	Market for the farm produce must be available near the site	No marketing facility	More difficult to market the farm produces.	Suitable market should be identified before the selection of the site.
22.	Construction feasibility	More suitable for constructing the ponds and other structures	Difficulty in civil work execution	More cost will be involved in the construction of the ponds and other civil structures	Suitable designs should be prepared for the construction.