Experiments on induced maturation and spawning of tiger prawn (P. monodon Fabricius) through eyestalk ablation

Details of experiments on the ovarian maturation of P. monodon through eyestalk abletlon in the brackish water impoundments (bheries) in the lower Sunderbans areas of West Bengal are given, immature females of tiger prawn (100 g and above) cultured in a bhari (65 ha) were ablated uni/ bilaterally and kept with an equal number of healthy mature males (80 g and above) in split bamboo enclosures (2.25 m x 2.25 m) in the Impoundment. The test animals were fed twice daily with the minced flesh of freshly caught penaeids and bivalves from the area. Fast gonadal maturation and subsequent spawnings ware observed in a period of 10-21 days after the ablation. The prospects of setting up a seasonal tiger prawn hatchery during the dry months of February-July when the fast rate of water evaporation in these shallow coastal water bodies renders the salinity (26-32 ppt) highly suitable for undertaking this venture are discussed